Htamin Jin

Name: Htamin Jin
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 5
Cuisine: Shan
Ingredients: 700 g Cooked short-grain rice, cooled; 4 Tomatoes; 1 large Potato, boiled and mashed; 250 g Freshwater fish, poached and flaked; 1 tsp Turmeric powder; 8 Garlic cloves, sliced and fried in oil; 80 ml Peanut oil; 1.5 tsp Salt; 2 stalks Leek or spring onion, raw, cut into batons; 2 tbsp Fried garlic and chilli flakes to finish

Rice kneaded with tomato, potato and flaked fish into soft balls, sharpened with garlic oil and eaten cold with crisp raw leek — the signature dish of the Intha people who live on Inle Lake.

Source

Recette de Shan kitchens · 🏺 Traditionnel · The food of Shan State in the eastern hills — lighter, sourer and more fermented than the Bamar cooking of the plains, and a cuisine in its own right rather than a regional accent.

Inle Lake · Intha people — An ownerless traditional dish, so no cook is credited. The cited article confirms it as a Burmese dish of fermented rice and the signature dish of the Intha people of Inle Lake in Shan State. Quantities and the kneading note are this book's own.

Background on Wikipedia ↗

Watch it being made

Nila’s Burmese Kitchen

⏱ 60 min🍽 5 portions🔥 380 kcal🇲🇲 Birmanie🌶️

Sans glutenSans produits laitiers

Étapes

Simmer the tomatoes until collapsed, then push them through a sieve and discard the skins.
Warm the tomato pulp with the turmeric, salt and half the garlic oil.
Knead the rice, mashed potato, fish and tomato mixture together by hand until it holds its shape.
💡 Knead it properly, past the point where it looks mixed. The texture — dense and slightly sticky, not loose grains — is the dish.
Shape into balls or press into a shallow dish. Leave to cool completely.
Pour the rest of the garlic oil over, scatter fried garlic and chilli, and serve cold with raw leek alongside.

💡 Astuces

Eaten cold, always. Warm htamin jin is just rice — the flavour reads properly only once it has cooled and settled.
The raw leek is a palate cleaner between mouthfuls, not a garnish. Bite, then eat.