A curry of two cities

Khau sa, a Memon dish with origins in Burma, bears a striking resemblance to soup broth khao suey and narrates the stories of migration patterns of the Muslim community

In the suburb of Rander, Surat, the streets are lined with humble food carts selling khau sa, a dish that interestingly resembles popular Burmese dish khao suey. Those who don’t know about the origin of this dish, may be quick to dismiss it as the new fad. It’s not.  The dish came to Surat many decades ago along with the traders who sailed to Burma for teak and passed through the port of Rander. Surprisingly, many Memons too aren’t aware of the history, and it’s only now that the Burmese khao suey is getting famous, that they are curious to find out more.

Home chef Sana Gubitra assembles the khau sa at her home in Bandra. Pics/Sameer Markande

The noodle-based delicacy made with meat and a coconut-flavoured yoghurt curry has travelled across India and Pakistan from Myanmar, thus narrating the story of the community’s historic trading ties with the country. Just like many Memoni dishes, this one too is the result of cultural fusion. Home chef Sanah Gubitra, Culinary Spell, says, “Our cuisine is a blend of several cuisines, with a strong Gujarati influence. Even with khau sa-also called kadi khau sa-many Memons add gathiya or fried samosa patti to their liking and almost everyone will put the salli on it-it’s our take on the dish.”

Chartered accountant Sarfaraz Dhanani whose hometown is Okha in Gujarat, says, “Look at the ingredients of khau sa-coconut milk and noodles-there has to be some south Asian connect. But I’ll admit, for the longest time, I had no idea that my favourite dish, which I thought is so specifically Memoni, comes from Burma. Over time, we’ve added our own twists to it. Our history isn’t well-documented and so, whatever we know is through the stories our relatives told us. They say, even today, the Memons living in Myanmar trace their ancestral roots back to India and Pakistan. At the time, many Memons would set up trade in the state and return  to their homeland when done or to visit for a short duration and would bring their food influences. Some also moved back home after the Myanmarese military regime-known to be intolerant of foreigners-came into power during the 1960s. Besides, our recipes are closely guarded and rarely found outside home. For us, khau sa is a dish close to our hearts. Every home has its own version.” Dhanani also admits to having some unauthentic versions of the Memon khau sa at two restaurants in the city when he was craving for the dish. “I missed my hometown dearly on those nights,” he adds.

Gubitra says that Memons prefer the dish with red meat and the curry is made of curd, gram flour, coconut. This dish has a lot of accompaniments, including barista (fried onion), mint leaves, coriander leaves, crushed peanuts, etc. “There is a lot of choice for everyone, hence it is a hit at family get-togethers.” We asked chef-restaurateur Bawmra Jap, of contemporary Burmese cuisine restaurant Bomra’s in Anjuna, Goa, to shed some light on the link between the two dishes. “I didn’t know of this history, but it seems quite interesting. Tell me more,” he said to this writer. He however did say, “In Burma, there is another version of the dish that the Chinese Muslims from the Hunan province make. It is similar to what’s made in Chiang Mai in Thailand with massaman curry. Khao suey is one of our traditional dishes, eaten almost every day and the light soupy meal is just perfect to have anytime.”

The Memoni khau sa is an offshoot of the Burmese khao suey

Principal architect and designer Husna Rahaman who wrote Hajra’s Recipes of Life for Life, one of the first cookbooks of the Memon community, has interesting insights to share: “In 1945 during the Japanese invasion of Burma, people had to abandon their homes and migrate to India, bringing with them a taste of what they had left behind. My husband’s family, the Jamals, made India home.  But, the stories and flavours of their memories lived on. Like any foreign cuisine in a new land, it is transfused with respect to the prevailing flavours of the receiving land. The khau sa was birthed from exotic flavours being adopted while being anointed by the ‘heat’ of Indian flavours. Red and green chilli paste are part of the numerous condiments that make this dish a do-it-yourself adventure. Then there is coriander, mint, raw sliced onions, fried onions, spring onions, sliced lime and fried noodles for the crunch. The meat curry is hearty and wholesome and the coconut milk is creamy. The khow sa is a robust and decidedly scarlet version of its source. The condiment array is far more elaborate than its Burmese counterpart.”

Husna Rahman

Recalling a memory shared with her by a relative who had migrated to India, Rahman narrates, “In Burma, every evening, street vendors would call upon the large homes to offer a snack of khau suey. People would choose their variation of condiments and sit down to a hot and hearty treat. As a family, we uphold and applaud the tradition and ensure the slurpy noodles-rice noodles or spaghetti -are lapped up with the steaming coconut curry and vivid meat sauce.”

Two years ago, when this writer was visiting her brother’s home in Abu Dhabi, her mother’s Memon friend invited her for a khau sa dinner. A first introduction to the sharp, robust flavours. Dhanani says, “It requires a lot of time and effort to prepare. So, if you go to a Memon home and are served the dish, know that it is only because you are very special.”

Memoni khau sa

Ingredients
1/2 kg boneless mutton
 3-4 medium onions
 3 tomatoes
Oil
 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp dhaniya powder 
1/2 tsp garam masala 
 1 tsp chilli powder
 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
 3/4 cup yoghurt
 1 tbsp gram flour
 100 ml coconut milk
 1 tsp garlic and green chillies
 2 cups cooked spaghetti
 Accompaniments  (Fried onion, fried garlic, ginger slivers, salli, mint leaves, coriander, crushed peanuts)

Method
Fry onions and tomatoes with ginger-garlic paste in oil. Add powdered masalas to it and sauce. Add meat and cook till tender. Keep stirring intermittently so it doesn’t stick to the vessel. On the side, add gram flour to yoghurt and coconut milk. Add crushed chilies and garlic and cook till the smell of gram flour goes away. 

Assembling
Put spaghetti in a serving bowl, add cooked meat, pour the kadhi over until everything is covered. Add accompaniments of your choice.

Bawmra Jap

Chef Bawmra’s chicken khao suey

Ingredients

For the chicken stock 
 1 stick lemongrass
 1 pc star anise
 10 sichuan peppercorns
 1 pc black cardamom 
 3 bay leaves 
 1 tbsp vinegar
 1 tbsp fish sauce
 1 litre water
 1 small chicken with skin 
 Simmer everything together for 45 minutes. Strain the stock and shred the chicken

For Gravy
 2 onions  
1/2 tsp turmeric
 4 tbsp gram flour
 50 gm peanuts (crushed) 
 1 tsp sugar
 Salt to taste
 1 can coconut cream
 2 tbsp oil
 8-10 baby onions
 1 tsp aromat/broth cubes

Method
Puree two onions and cook them with oil until golden brown. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for a few minutes. Pour  the chicken stock and shredded chicken. Add coconut cream and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Serve with
Fried garlic, boiled noodles, fried onions, chopped spring onions, chopped coriander, sliced onions, crushed peanuts, green chilli, lemon wedges.

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