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Love is in my Tummy

Plant-based flavor

August 25, 2017 By Tina Dawson 9 Comments

{VEGAN} Mandalay Curry noodles

This is a Vegan version of the Mandalay Curry noodles, made with a rich tomato and chickpea curry base.

This is a Vegan version of the Mandalay Curry noodles (Mangalay Mote Thi), made with a rich tomato and chickpea curry base. Lunch | Dinner | Asian Cuisine | Burmese Food | Food Photography

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about causality – the game of cause and effect. I think it all began when I re-watched the movie ‘Lady in the Water’ a few weeks past. Many find M. Night Shyamalan movies a little too far fetched and nonsensical at times, and to those people I have just one thing to say: you can only understand a language that you have been taught to comprehend.

Apologies for the spoilers here, but in this movie, a writer is given a prophecy that his book will shape the lives of millions for the better. He finds it hard to believe: how can someone like him, a first-time author, simply penning his random thoughts have the power to effect such change? To which he is told that his book will find a way into the home of a child, whose thoughts will be shaped by the ideas in the book. This child will become a great orator, and his words will be heard throughout the world. He will become a leader of this country and his words will become the seeds of change.

The idea, that something you do, say or create can influence another and then another creating a chain reaction that cascades through time and space is one that I am unable to shake off from my mind. It is stuck there, in an intricate web of marvelous intrigue, and keeps growing in me, stronger everyday.

This is a Vegan version of the Mandalay Curry noodles (Mangalay Mote Thi), made with a rich tomato and chickpea curry base. Lunch | Dinner | Asian Cuisine | Burmese Food | Steam | Food Photography

The reason I started this blog was because of causality. I grew up listening to my grandmother’s stories about her life in Burma before the war and the food she grew up eating. She painted vivid mental pictures with her words, about the tastes and smells of the food carts, the cashew trees in her backyard, the houses on stilts and the damp that clung in the air after the long monsoons. It instilled in me this yearning to understand new cultures through their food, and that curiosity burned in me much stronger than anything else I’ve done in my life. Food. While it was just sustenance to most others, to me, it was much, much more.

I am what I am today, because of that simple, singular part of my childhood, which my dear grandmother probably intended to only entertain us with. My brother listened to the same stories I did, but in me, it had a much stronger effect and dug its roots deep in me.

Causality. It is the reason I went searching for new Burmese recipes this morning. Having exhausted everything my grandmother taught me, I figured it was time to look for new recipes. I’ve been reading ‘The Glass Palace‘ by Amitav Ghosh, and I wanted to learn more about a few foods that were mentioned in passing (I take notes while reading!). One thing led to another and I found myself fascinated by this Mandalay Curry Noodles (Mandalay Mote Thi) on a Burmese blog.

Since we’re speaking of causality, I must mention that it was a reader who brought this book to my attention when she commented on the Burmese Balachaung post earlier this month. I couldn’t help but order it on Amazon immediately. If she hadn’t commented, I wouldn’t have bought the book, or went searching. But she wouldn’t have commented if I hadn’t written the post in the first place. And none of this would have happened had the Burmese-Indians not been expelled from their country. Causality, ladies and gentlemen.

This is a Vegan version of the Mandalay Curry noodles (Mangalay Mote Thi), made with a rich tomato and chickpea curry base. Lunch | Dinner | Asian Cuisine | Burmese Food | Food Photography

This Mandalay Curry Noodles is traditionally made with minced chicken meat, but I decided to make mine with my favorite plant-protein instead: the humble chickpeas. Burmese dishes are so beautifully flavored, and as if that wasn’t enough, each dish is piled on with nearly infinite toppings at the table. This noodle is no exception, except the recipe is less complex that one would be led to believe.

There are simply two spices in play here: red chilli powder and turmeric, that season a rich tomato and onion base. The only other essential ingredient here is time. This curry is slow cooked for nearly an hour, and in this time, the tomatoes practically melt into a scarlet emulsion to create this striking red blanket with which the noodles will be covered in.

The chickpeas are my interpretation, but I believe even minced tofu would work well here, as will a medley of vegetables of choice. But choice is never a conscious thing, and in matters involving lunch and dinner, I find that more often than not, unintended leftovers are the clear winners over curated ingredients.

This is a Vegan version of the Mandalay Curry noodles (Mangalay Mote Thi), made with a rich tomato and chickpea curry base. Lunch | Dinner | Asian Cuisine | Burmese Food | Food Photography

See how the curry coats the pale white noodles in a golden shroud, the sauce and noodle almost indiscernible to the uninformed eyes. One could easily be forgiven for thinking that yellow was the native color of the noodles from the start.

And don’t forget to stock the table with a host of toppings and condiments: thin slices of red onion, fried garlic, fried onions, crushed peanuts, chopped cilantro, chopped spring onion greens, toasted split-chickpea flour, lime/lemon wedges, jalapenos or other choice of peppers, chilli oil and finally my personal favorite: fried red chilli flakes.

Let your guests, should you be making this for a gathering, be a part of this topping ritual, give them free reign over which ingredients to choose, and which combinations to play around with. Rest assured, that no matter how meek or ambitious their pile is, the end result is going to be absolutely delicious nevertheless.

This is a Vegan version of the Mandalay Curry noodles (Mangalay Mote Thi), made with a rich tomato and chickpea curry base. Lunch | Dinner | Asian Cuisine | Burmese Food | Food Photography

Before I leave you with your delicious bowl of Mandalay Curry Noodles, let me remind you to spend some time this weekend to think about the role of causality in your lives. Mankind is more connected than we give ourselves credit for and no amount of gizmos and gadgets can tear us asunder, although you can’t say it’s from a lack of trying. Your existence today is the result of a chain of reactions that began long, long before you could ever imagine. But most importantly, think about the chain you are starting today.

When you are at a coffee shop, paying for your coffee, a kind word to the cashier wouldn’t be the most inconvenient thing to do. And 9 out of 10 times, the person on the receiving end of your kindness could be rudely apathetic to your sentiments. But that magical 10th time, it could be a person who needed a kind smile that day. To that parched person, you could be the proverbial oasis in the desert of their life.

And before you do anything, think about the charges of  societal repercussions you are setting off. In the larger scheme of things, you could seem a trite insignificant little thing, but never forget, it only takes a single pebble to send a thousand ripples over a still lake.

This is a Vegan version of the Mandalay Curry noodles (Mangalay Mote Thi), made with a rich tomato and chickpea curry base. Lunch | Dinner | Asian Cuisine | Burmese Food | Food Photography

When you make this Mandalay Curry Noodles (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here!

Mandalay Curry Noodles

Created by Tina Dawson on August 24, 2017

This is a Vegan version of the Mandalay Curry noodles (Mangalay Mote Thi), made with a rich tomato and chickpea curry base. Gluten-Free.

  • Prep Time:10m
  • Cook Time:1h
  • Total Time:1h 10m
  • Serves: 2
  • Yield: About 2-3 c of curry

Ingredients

For the curry

  • 1 1/2 c chopped onion
  • 4 large cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
  • 4 -6 tbsp chilli oil
  • 1 - 2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
  • 3 roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 c water
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1 c slightly over-cooked chickpeas
  • 1/2 c cilantro, chopped

For the noodles

  • 2 noodle cakes, (single serving size each)
  • a large pot of water
  • 2 c cabbage, cut in large chunks
  • Salt, to taste

To assemble

  • 1 lime, quartered
  • 3 spring onion (greens), chopped
  • 1/4 c roasted peanuts (crushed)
  • 1 Jalapeno, chopped (optional)
  • 2 tbsp. toasted split-chickpea powder

Instructions

Make the curry

  1. In a medium pan, heat the chilli oil and once hot, add the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt. Sauté on medium heat until translucent and soft.
  2. Reduce heat to medium-low and add red chilli powder, turmeric powder and cook until the spices are fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes, cover and cook until soft.
  3. Add the tomato paste and just enough water to make a smooth, thick curry. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for about 30-45 minutes, stirring every once in a while and adding water if the curry is too thick.
  4. Add the chickpeas, and using the back of a spoon, mash them coarsely into the curry. Add more water to dilute to a thick, curry-like consistency.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro.

Cook the noodles

  1. Bring the pot of water to a rolling boil. Season with salt till it tastes like sea water.
  2. Add the noodle cakes and cook until soft. 1 minute before you'll need to drain the noodles, add the coarsely chopped cabbage into the boiling water.

Assemble

  1. Drain and divide the freshly cooked noodles between two bowls. Top with some curry (a little goes a long way, so mix, then add more if you need it)
  2. Top with lemon juice, toasted chickpea powder, crushed peanuts, spring onion, jalapeno to preference. Toss and stir everything together until combined.
  3. Serve hot and enjoy
Source: Adapted from Lime and Cilantro
  • Print

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Burmese, Cuisines, Lunch/Dinner, Sauces and curry, Table for two, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: Burmese, Chickpeas, fried garlic, fried red chiili flakes, Noodles

Previous Post: « Vegan Garlic Scape Butter made 2 ways
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Liv says

    August 29, 2017 at 7:27 am

    Woow, Indian Noodles 🙂 Cool, looks delicious. I love indian food and chinese noodles. So here are kind of both … ha-ha

    Reply
  2. Dahn says

    August 27, 2017 at 8:23 pm

    these noodles look incredible, I would normally think to use chicken with them but really like the idea of using chickpeas.

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      August 28, 2017 at 10:56 am

      Something new to try, Dahn. I hope you like it! 🙂

      Reply
  3. pradeep jay says

    August 25, 2017 at 12:01 pm

    “You see, there is only one constant, one universal, it is the only real truth: causality. Action. Reaction. Cause and effect.” – Merovingian (Matrix Reloaded)
    Your picture of steamy noodles, has an effect of increasing my hungrrrrr!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      August 25, 2017 at 12:19 pm

      Thanks Pradeep! 🙂 I knew that an idea from The Matrix would draw you in for a comment!

      Reply
  4. Edyta says

    August 25, 2017 at 11:40 am

    Oh my.. this looks so good. I could have it right now! Your photos are beautiful!

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      August 25, 2017 at 12:19 pm

      Thanks Edtya!

      Reply
  5. Lisa | Garlic & Zest says

    August 25, 2017 at 10:51 am

    Causality is an interesting concept… and I’ve thought about how things happen and why — and the things that bring us to that point often… it’s interesting how seemingly unrelated things can share a link, sometimes. I am fixated on these noodles, because I’ve been making a lot of curry lately — and here you are bringing me even more ways to use it. The end result is that this will likely be dinner this weekend… Cause and effect.

    Reply
    • Tina Dawson says

      August 25, 2017 at 10:56 am

      ha ha! Causality is everywhere, Lisa! I hope you like the noodles! 🙂

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Tina - the human behind all the content you see on this blog. Welcome to my little corner of the internet where I create flavorful and unique plant-based recipes.

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