This is a very unusual preparation and one that I think I probably need a bit more practice at. You boil the beef, then fry it, then pound it in a molcajete or similar. It's delicious, but I found that my beef wasn't sufficiently tender to be broken down by the pounding. I ended up putting it back in the pot to cook for a little longer. Next time I think I'd give it a much longer boiling/braising period so that it could be more easily worked with in the final step.

Kachin Pounded Beef

Slightly adapted from Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• 2 c. water
• 450g stewing beef
• 1 tsp. ground Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped ginger
• 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1-2 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorns¹, toasted
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro or Vietnamese coriander

Directions

1. Combine water, beef, and Sichuan pepper in a wok and bring to a boil.
2. Simmer until meat is tender.²
3. Reduce heat gradually as the water evaporates.
4. Remove from heat once most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat is tender.
5. Set the meat aside and rinse out the wok.
6. Place wok over medium heat.
7. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
8. Add the meat and cook, turnning occasionally until seared on all sides (~5 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
9. Combine ginger, garlic, dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and salt in a molcajete or very large mortar and grind to a paste.
10. Add cilantro and grind to a paste.
11. Add the meat, a piece or two at a time, and pound to break it down and incorporate the flavour paste.

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¹ Be sure to remove and discard any seeds. You want only the husks when working with Sichuan peppercorns. The seeds will become gritty and unpleasant in the mouth. ^Back
2 Duguid starts with 1 c. of water and recommends simmering for ~30 minutes. I've started off with 2 c. and would recommend simmering for at least 90 minutes. (Add more water if necessary.) ^Back

I only cooked a relatively small amount of beef for TF's birthday dinner, so I figured a legume would be a nice way to add some more substance to the meal and make sure no one left hungry. I used cow peas, but Duguid explains that many other legumes would also be suitable. She mentions chickpeas and black-eyed peas in particular. And I think moth beans or brown lentils would also work well.

Peas for Many Occasions

Slightly adapted from Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried legumes
• 4 c. water or broth
• 2 shallots, 1 chopped and 1 sliced
• 1 slice ginger (whole or minced)
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 tsp. fish sauce
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• juice of 1 lime

Directions

1. Place the legumes in a bowl and add enough water to cover them by several cm. Set aside to soak overnight.
2. Drain the legumes and place them in a pot with the water, chopped shallot, and ginger.
3. Bring to a boil, cover, and then lower heat and simmer for ~2 hours. Add more water duing cooking if peas start to become dry.
4. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add the turmeric and sliced shallot and cook for ~4 minutes.
6. Add the shallot-oil mixture to the peas.
7. At this point, if desired, peas can be cooled and frozen for later use.
8. Once ready to eat, stir in the salt and fish sauce.
9. Top with cilantro and lime juice and serve.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried legumes
• 4 c. water or broth
• 2 shallots, 1 chopped and 1 sliced
• 1 slice ginger (whole or minced)
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 tsp. vegan fish sauce substitute¹ (store-bought or homemade)
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• juice of 1 lime

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¹ If you can't find or make vegan fish sauce, then you can try substituting a mix of tamari and coconut aminos. They both offer good umami flavour with the tamari hitting some of the earthy notes and the coconut hitting the sweet notes. ^Back

Gyin Thoke (Ginger Salad)

This was part of the spread for TF's birthday dinner. I wasn't really expecting to like it since I don't really care for pickled ginger. But I wasn't making it for me, I was making it for her and she quite enjoys pickled ginger.

In the end everyone liked this salad! Well, except for the Kidlet who couldn't eat it due to the shrimp powder. I didn't worry about including the shrimp since I was so sure the ginger would put her off anyway. I think next time I'll try it without the shrimp so the Kidlet can eat it too. It's really delicious! And, having tried it, I think she probably would like it after all.

Gyin Thoke

Slightly adapted from Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• 1 c. pickled ginger¹
• 1/2 c. pumpkin seeds, toasted
• 1/2 c. chopped roasted peanuts²
• 1/2 c. roasted or fried split soybeans or split peas³
• 1/2 c. sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 c. dried shrimp powder (optional⁴)
• 1-2 Roma tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
• 1 c. shredded Napa cabbage
• 1/4 c. fried garlic⁵
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. garlic oil
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directons

1. Rinse the ginger in cold water, then drain and slice into thin strands.
2. Combine ginger, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, fried soybeans, sesame seeds, dried shrimp powder, tomatoes, Napa cabbage, fried garlic, and lime juice in a bowl and mix to combine.
3. Add garlic oil and salt and mix again.
4. Adjust seasoning as desired and serve.

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¹ Japanese gari works well for this purpose. ^Back
2 You can toast raw peanuts in a dry pan and then chop them or chop commercial dry-roasted unsalted peanuts. ^Back
3 You can substitute an extra 1/2 c. of peanuts for the soybeans if you can't find or make fried split soybeans. ^Back
4 Obviously you would need to omit the shrimp to keep this vegetarian. If you're going for vegan as well, you may need to make your own pickled ginger from scratch as not all sugar is vegan and you generally can't tell just by looking at the ingredients. ^Back
5 Duguid actually suggests slicing the garlic fairly thick when making fried garlic for Burmese recipes. Either way will work; you may just need to adjust your cooking times accordingly. ^Back

I was kind of surprised that you had to rehydrate the shrimp before grinding them into powder. It's almost more of a shrimp fluff. A fluff that adds a bit of delicious umami to dishes it's used in!

Sadly, it doesn't see much use in our due to the Kidlet's shellfish allergy. But I figure it's still worth having the instructions up here for the times when we do get to cook with shrimp.

Dried Shrimp Powder

From Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredient

• 1 c. high-quality dried shrimp¹

Directions

1. Place the shrimp in a bowl and add enough water to cover them. Set aside for 10-20 minutes.
2. Drain the shrimp and path them dry.
3. Transfer to a food processor (or a blender with a "food chop" setting) and process into a sluffy powder. This may take several minutes if your shrimp are tough.
4. Store in a glass jar in the fridge.

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¹ Duguid notes that it's best if you can get "largish" dried shrimp that are at least 1cm long. She also mentions that the darker the colour the better. Try for dark pink or red rather than beige or light pink. ^Back

I had some napa cabbage left over after making the ginger salad for TF's birthday dinner, so I decided to give this stir-fry a try. It's nothing super fancy, but it was quick and easy and gave us a little bit more veg to round out the meal.

Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry

Slighlty adapted from Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• 350g Napa cabbage
• 1/2 c. hot water
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce¹
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1-2 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tsp. minced ginger
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Cut the cabbage into 5mm slices, then cut them crosswise to create bite-sized pieces.
2. Rinse well, drain, and set aside.
3. Combine hot water and oyster sauce and set aside.
4. Heat wok over high heat.
5. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat the wok.
6. Reduce heat to medium and add the turmeric.
7. Immediately add the chilies, shallot, and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
8. Increase heat to high and add the cabbage and salt.
9. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
10. Drizzle in the oyster sauce mixture an dbring to a boil.
11. Cook for another 15-30 seconds.
12. Transfer to a shallow bowl to serve.

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¹ Be sure to use vegetarian oyster sauce if you would like the dish to be vegetarian or vegan. ^Back

This is a basic Burmese fried rice. It has some elements in common with other fried rice dishes that I've made but, unlike Chinese fried rice, there is no sauce added at the end. The rice is simple fried with some turmeric, shallots, and peas and served with lime wedges. I appreciate the simplicity and it is very delicious. (Although, if you're willing to add another step, I do think it would be very nice with scrambled eggs!)

Fried Rice with Shallots

Slightly adapted from Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. oil
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 (or more) sliced shallots
• 4-5 c. cooked rice
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. green peas
• scrambled eggs (optional)
• 2-3 Tbsp. fried shallots
• lime wedges (optional)

Directions

1. If you want to add some scrambled eggs, you can make them in the wok, then transfer them to a plate while you cook the rice in the wok.
2. Heat the wok over medium-high heat.
3. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
4. Add the turmeric and shallots and stir-fry for ~5 minutes.
5. Increase heat to high and add rice.
6. Add salt, peas, and scrambled egg (if using).
7. Stir-fry until rice is seared and peas are cooked.
8. Add the fried shallots and stir-fry for another 30-60 seconds.
9. Serve with lime wedges if desired.

Khaukswe Hin (Burmese Coconut Chicken and Noodles)

After the great success of the liver curry, I decided to try out another pick from the One-Pot Meals of Asia cookbook. This one came out looking a bit grey and unappealing, but it tasted delicious! I think I'd make a few tweaks next time, but nothing major.

Khaukswe Hin

Slightly adapted from One-Pot Meals of Asia

Ingredients

• 1 (1.6-1.8kg) chicken¹, skinned and jointed
• 1/2-1 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3-5 whole cloves (optional)
• 1-2 bay leaves (optional)
• 1 whole dried lime² (optional)
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 8-10 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1/4 c. chickpea flour
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 2 c. coconut milk (lite/thin coconut milk is fine)
• 1 stalk lemongrass, minced
• 1 c. frozen chopped kale (optional)
• 1 c. frozen green peas³ (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1-3 Tbsp. hot chili oil
• 450g wheat noodles⁴
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
• 5-6 green onions, chopped
• 4 limes, quartered
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Sprinkle the chicken with the turmeric, cayenne, and salt and place it in a pot.
2. Add enough water to just cover the chicken. Toss in the cloves, bay leaves, and lime (if using).
3. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for ~20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the onions, garlic, and ginger in a blender or food processor and blend to form a paste. You may need to add a little water if using a blender for this step.
5. Once chicken is cooked, remove the pieces from the pot (reserving the broth).
6. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pick the meat from the bones and set it aside.
7. Heat neutral oil over medium-high heat and pour in the onion paste.
8. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated and the paste begins to fry.
9. Fry the paste for another 2-3 minutes.
10. Add the chicken and stir to coat it with the fried paste.
11. Add enough of the reserved stock to the chickpea flour to form a smooth paste and stir it into the pan.
12. Stir 2 c. of stock into the pan and bring to a boil.
13. Add the paprika, coconut milk, and lemongrass and cook for another 5 minutes. The sauce should thicken slightly.
14. Add the kale and peas (if using) and cook until heated through.
15. Stir in the fish sauce and the chili oil.
16. Just before serving, boil the noodles. Aim for al dente so they still have a little bite to them.
17. Drain the noodles and give them a quick rinse under cold water.
18. Serve immediately! Place a serving of noodles on a plate/bowl and top with curry. Garnish with egg quarters, green onions, and cilantro. Serve each portion with a lime wedge so that diners may squeeze the juice over the curry before they eat it. Enjoy!

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¹ I ended up using ~1kg of chicken drumsticks + 250g of king oyster mushrooms that had been fried in butter and then seasoned with pepper and soy sauce. ^Back
2 Neither dried limes nor bay leaves nor cloves were called for in the original recipe and I didn't use them this time 'round but, after tasting the finished dish, I think they'd make a nice addition. ^Back
3 The original recipe also doesn't call for peas or kale. However, without them, it's severely lacking in the vegetable department. I didn't want to have to make a separate vegetable side -- kinda defeats the purpose of a one-pot meal, doesn't it? -- so I added some veggies to the curry. I think it worked pretty well. Especially since I was a bit short on chicken anyway. ^Back
4 I ended up using a bag of dried Chinese egg noodles for this. The author notes that spaghetti, vermicelli, or tagliatelli may be used if you don't have any Asian-style noodles. ^Back

The original recipe calls for making this with either grapfruits or pomelo. I'd never had a pomelo before, so I figured I'd take that option and give it a try. As it turns out, I don't really care for pomelo, so I wasn't really crazy about this salad. I'm still glad I tried it though! That said, in the future, I think I'll stick with grapefruits and give the pomelo a miss.

Grapefruit Salad

From Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• 2 medium grapefruits (or 1 small pomelo)
• 1/4 c. thinly sliced shallots, soaked in cold water
• 1 tsp. Dried Shrimp Powder
• 1 Tbsp. Toasted Chickpea Flour
• 2 Tbsp. Fried Shallots
• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. Shallot Oil

Directions

1. Peel the grapfruits with a sharp knife, being sure to remove the pith as well as the peel.
2. Carefully cut along the membranes between the segments to free the fruit from all traces of membrane and/or pith. Place the juicy segments in a bowl and set aside.
3. Squeeze the membranes over the bowl to release any remaining juice.
4. Once the shallots have soaked for at least 10 minutes, drain them and add them to the bowl with the grapefruit segments.
5. Add shrimp powder, chickpea flour, and fried shallots and toss to mix.
6. Add fish sauce and shallot oil and toss again.
7. Season to taste with additional fish sauce and/or salt.

I have, apparently, been quite remiss in writing up the Burmese recipes that I've tried. I've made quite a few at this point. I've liked most of them. But when I went to check the blog... I could only find one!

I'm trying to rectify this now. This means that the Burmese recipes will probably be coming thick and fast for a few days with not too much in the way of notes or musings since it's been ages since I cooked most of them. I'll do my best to add relevant commentary, but it may be a bit sparse. I know, for instance, that I made this carrot salad. But I can't remember a darn thing about it!

Mandalay Grated Carrot Salad

Slightly adapted from Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• 225g carrots, grated
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 2 tsp. Dried Shrimp Powder
• 1 tsp. Toasted Chickpea Flour
• 1 tsp. minced green Thai or cayenne chili
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 Tbsp. chopped toasted or dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
• 2 Tbsp. Fried Shallots
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro or mint

Directions

1. Place the carrots in a bowl and add the lime juice and fish sauce.
2. Press/mash with the back of a wooden spoon for a few minutes to break them up a bit.
3. Add the shrimp powder and chickpea flour and toss to mix.
4. Add the chili and salt and toss again.
5. Add the peanuts, fried shallots, and herbs and toss a final time.
6. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt, lime juice, and/or fish sauce and serve immediately.

This is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin: get some dried shrimp, soak them, then grind them up. The author stresses the importance of getting good-quality dried shrimp. She recommends getting the largest ones you can find with the darkest colour: Red > pink > beige. She also advises looking for shrimp that still have a little give to them rather than being rock-hard and completely dry.

Dried Shrimp Powder

From Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried shrimp

Directions

1. Place the shrimp in a bowl and add enough water to just cover them. Set aside for 10-20 minutes.
2. Drain the shrimp and dry them off.
3. Use a mortar and pestle or a food processor to grind them into a somewhat fluffy powder.
4. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Fish Cakes (Burmese)

I don't have a food processor, so I always find these a little labour-intensive as I have to grind the fish by hand. But, with the appropriate appliances, this is a very easy dish to make. Very different from what I grew up calling "fish cakes", which really seem to be more like fish croquettes with their mashed potato and crispy breading. Both are good, but I think I'd give the edge to these Burmese fish cakes with their mouth-watering aromatics and the tendency to let the fish really take centre stage and shine.

Fish Cakes

From Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• 225g tilapia (or other white fish) fillets, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. minced shallots
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. minced ginger
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• canola (or other neutral) oil, for frying

Directions

1. Combine fish chunks, shallots, garlic, ginger, and salt in a bowl or food processor. Mash, grind, or process the fish until it's broken down and the mixture is as smooth and homogenous as possible.
2. Lightly oil a plate and set it next to you.
3. Working with ~1 Tbsp. of the fish mixture at a time, shape it into a smooth ball, flatten it into a disc about 4cm across, and set on the oiled plate.
4. Once all of the fish mixture has been used up, heat ~0.5cm of oil over medium-high heat.
5. Carefully pick up a fish cake and slide it into the oil. Keep adding patties to the pan until it starts seeming too crowded to add more.
6. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.
7. Once patties are cooked through and golden on both sides, remove from pan and allow to drain off excess oil. (You can hold them over the pan in a spider for a minute or fit a small rack over one side of the pan/wok where they can sit and drain.)
8. Transfer cooked fish cakes to a plate to cool.

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Variations

Fish Balls

Ingredients

as above

Directions

1. Make fish mixture as above.
2. Working with ~1/2 Tbsp. of fish mixture, shape it into a small ball and set it on the oiled plate. Repeat until all of the fish mixture has been used.
3. Bring a pot of broth or water to a boil.
4. Drop the fish balls in and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Fish balls may be eaten immediately or frozen for later use.

FODMAP-Friendly Version

Ingredients

• 225g tilapia (or other white fish) fillets, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. minced scallion, green parts only
• 1 tsp. minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• Garlic Oil, for frying

I can't believe I haven't written this recipe up yet! It's one of our favourites. The fishcakes are a little fiddly to make (only because I hate trying to grind up the fish), but the results are absolutely delicious. And once you have the fish cakes, the rest of the salad is easy-peasy. We've made this one a bunch of times and I'm sure we'll be making it again. So tasty!

Fish Cake Salad

Slightly adapted from Burma: Rivers of Flavour by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

Dressing

• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. Scallion Oil, made with green parts only
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 green Thai or cayenne chili, minced
• 1 tsp. Toasted Chickpea Flour
• 1 Tbsp. Fried Shallots, from scallion oil made with green parts only
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Salad

• 1 recipe Fish Cakes
• 1 c. shredded Napa cabbage¹

Directions

1. Whisk together all dressing ingredients and set aside.
2. Cut each fishcake in half and place in a large bowl.
3. Add the cabbage.
4. Whisk the dressing and pour it over the salad.
5. Toss to mix.
6. Adjust seasonings to taste with additional fish sauce, lime juice, or salt.

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Variants

FODMAP-Friendly Version

Ingredients

Dressing

• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. Shallot Oil
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 green Thai or cayenne chili, minced
• 1 tsp. Toasted Chickpea Flour
• 1 Tbsp. Fried Shallots
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Salad

• 1 recipe Fish Cakes
• 1 c. shredded Napa cabbage

Do not substitue "brocco-slaw" for the shredded cabbage if preparing this salad as a low-FODMAP dish. While cabbage is usually well-tolerated in servings of up to half a cup (and many people can have up to a cup at a time), broccoli stems are high FODMAP and should be avoided.

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¹ I've also had great success using coleslaw, "kale-slaw", and "brocco-slaw" mix. You can also make your own "brocco-slaw" by julienning broccoli stems and a small carrot. It's a great way to use up the stems! ^Back

This reminds me a bit of Hamburger Helper, if Hamburger Helper had flavours other than salty. Rather than ground beef and pasta, it's ground beef and potatoes, but it's a similar idea. We served it with a simple Indian bell pepper and pea curry to add a little veg to the meal. I think it would probably also be good with some peas stirred right into the pan during cooking.

The author actually lists a spicy variant of this recipe from Rakhine. It adds minced galangal and several fresh green chilies. I think I'd like that version even better, but I refrained from using those additions because I figured it would make the Kidlet sad. (Also, I was all out of galangal.)

Duguid also notes that this is a very flexible dish. She mentions that it takes well to having mushrooms added along with the meat. It can calso be made with ground lamb or goat instead of beef. (Personally, I'd be tempted to try chunks of bone-in stewing goat as well.) And she said that adding cubes of eggplant either in addition to or instead of the potato makes for a pleasant dish as well. So, basically, keep the spices the same, but use whatever meat, starch, and/or veg you have and feel free to experiment and change it up!

Saucy Spiced Meat and Potatoes

Slightly adapted from Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• 450g lean ground beef
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 Tbsp. minced galangal (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. peanut (or other neutral) oil
• 1/4 c. minced shallot or 1 small red onion, minced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 450g potatoes, cut into 2-3cm cubes
• 1-2 c. water
• 3 fresh green Thai chilies, halved lengthwise
• 1 c. diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground (optional)

Directions

1. Mix salt, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and galangal (if using) into beef, cover, and set aside for 30-60 minutes.
2. Heat oil over medium heat¹.
3. Add shallot and ginger and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
4. Add potatoes and cook until lightly browned (~5 minutes).
5. Raise heat to medium-high and add 1 c. water² and chilies (if using), cover, and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are just shy of being tender (~10 minutes).
7. Add the meat mixtures along with another 1/2 c. of water if it seems to need it.
8. Stir in the tomatoes and chili powder.
9. Add a little more water if you like a thinner sauce or if the pan is getting dry.
10. Simmer, uncovered, until meat is cooked through and potatoes are tender.
11. Stir in black pepper (if using) and adjust seasoning to taste.
12. Serve with salad and/or a vegetable side.

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¹ Either a wok or a skillet will work for this recipe. That said, having now cooked it once in a skillet, I do think a wok would be the better tool for the job. Next time I'll definitely make it in a wok. ^Back
2 I added the full 2 c. of water at this point because I was using a large skillet and 1 c. wasn't enough to cover the potatoes. The large surface area also meant the water boiled off relatively quickly. And, because I was waiting on another curry to finish cooking, I ended up leaving it on low for quite a while after it was done. All this meant that even with the full 2 c. of water, the sauce was quite thick by the time it was done. If you're using a wok or don't need to hold it on the heat after cooking, then 1 c. may be all the water you need. ^Back