Myanmar
Essential Daily Food “Nga-pi”
By
Naw May Lay
Ngapi
translated means "pressed fish" and it is daily life accompaniment
dish for people in Myanmar. It is equivalent to fish or shrimp paste. It is an
everyday cooking ingredient used to flavour many dishes. There are three types of Ngapi: ‘nga-pi
gaung’ which is made from whole fish which are pressed, dried and eaten
baked; ‘nga-pi seinsa’ made from fermented shrimp which is stored in
the earthen pots; and ‘nga-pi yecho’
which is made from small fish which are left whole in the sun for a couple of
days after which they are salted, pounded and stored in clay pots. Nga-pi has a
very salty and fishy taste which many western palates may initially find
over-powering, however, it is an essential ingredient in Myanmar cooking. It
has the added advantage of containing protein and vitamin D. It can be substituted with any Asian Shrimp
Paste.
Out
of three, the one I like very much is ‘nga-pi
yecho’ made from fish and came out from clay pots. It is main side dish for
Myanmar daily foods particularly rice.I cann’t wait to share with you how to
make it delicious to be eaten. It is an easy recipe.
Firstly,
we need to boil few amount of fish for 5 minutes. While waiting for this, dried
shrimp, green chili and garlic have to be pounded separately. After boiling the fish, it has to be filtered
to a small bowl to keep the bones out. Then just simply mix with altogether and
ready to eat. But it will not be perfect
without some fresh vegetables such as cucumber, green mango, lady finger, lemon
leaf and whatever you have or want to eat.
But
it is needed to be familiar with the pungent smell of Nga-pi yecho and you can get this smell even from 100 meters.
Anyway I love to have my lunch with Nga-pi
yecho every day. 
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