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Condiments for Mohinga (Photography by Mikka Tokuda-Hall)

These are the condiment recipes that are meant to be served with one or both of the mohinga recipes appearing with the “Culinary Kaleidoscope” feature in our Winter 2013-14 issue. The recipes are excerpted from Naomi Duguid’s latest book, “Burma: Rivers of Flavor” published in 2012 by Artisan Books.

Fried Shallots and Shallot Oil

Makes a generous ¾ cup flavored oil & about 1 ¼ cups fried shallots

Here you get two pantry staples in one: crispy fried shallots and delicious shallot oil. Drizzle shallot oil on salads or freshly cooked greens, or onto soups to finish them. You can fry up shallots each time you need them, but I prefer to make a large batch so they’re around when I need a handful to flavor a salad.

The trick with fried shallots is to cook them slowly, so they give off their moisture and get an even golden brown without any scorched or blackened patches. Once they’re removed from the oil and left to cool, they crisp up.

1 cup peanut oil
2 cups (about ½ pound) thinly sliced Asian or European shallots

1. Place a wide heavy skillet or a large stable wok over medium-high heat and add the oil. Toss in a slice of shallot. As the oil heats, it will rise to the surface, sizzling lightly. When it’s reached the surface, add the rest of the shallots, carefully, so you don’t splash yourself with the oil, and lower the heat to medium. (The shallots may seem crowded, but they’ll shrink as they cook.) Stir gently and frequently with a long-handled wooden spoon or a spider. The shallots will bubble as they give off their moisture. If they start to brown early, in the first 5 minutes, lower the heat a little more. After about 10 minutes, they should start to color. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the pan or to each other, until they have turned a golden brown, another 3 minutes or so.

2. Line a plate with paper towels. Use tongs or a spider to lift a clump of fried shallots out of the oil, pausing for a moment to shake off excess oil into the pan, then place on the paper towel. Turn off the heat, transfer the remaining shallots to the plate, and blot gently with another paper towel. Separate any clumps and toss them a little, then let them air-dry 5 to 10 minutes, so they crisp up and cool. (If your kitchen is very hot and humid, they may not crisp up; don’t worry, the flavor will still be there.)

3. Transfer the shallots to a clean, dry, widemouthed glass jar. Once they have cooled completely, seal tightly. Transfer the oil to another clean dry jar, using all but the very last of it, which will have some stray pieces of shallot debris. (You can set that oil aside for stir-frying.) Once the oil has cooled completely, cover tightly and store in a cool dark place.

Toasted Chickpea Flour

Makes 2 cups

For this distinctively Burmese pantry staple, which is very easy to make and store, chickpea flour is simply lightly toasted in a skillet. Chickpea flour is made from ground dried chickpeas (garbanzos) and contains no gluten. The flour is available in South Asian groceries (the common name for it in India is besan), some health food stores, and specialty stores. Keep it in a well-sealed bag in a cool place, as you would any flour.

Make this in any quantity you wish; I usually make 2 cups at a time. Use in salads to add a layer of flavor and texture, and also to thicken sauces and soups, as directed.

2 cups chickpea flour

1. Place a cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the flour, and use a wooden spoon to stir it frequently as it heats and starts to toast. Lower the heat to medium if it starts to brown quickly, and keep stirring to expose all the flour to the heat. After about 6 or 7 minutes, it will start to change color. Lower the heat a little and continue to stir as it gets a little more color, then remove from the heat and continue to stir for another minute as the pan starts to cool. The whole process takes about 10 to 12 minutes.

2. Transfer to a wide bowl and let cool to room temperature. Store in a clean, dry glass jar, well sealed.

Green Chile Paste

Makes ¾ Cup

8 green cayenne chiles
¼ cup hot water
⅛ teaspoon salt

1. Crush the chiles in a mortar, or use the side of a cleaver or chef’s knife to crush them on a cutting board. Slice each one crosswise into 3 or 4 pieces. Place in a bowl with the water and salt and set aside to soak until ready to serve.

Red Chile Powder

Makes about ½ cup

Cooks in Burma tend to have a light hand with chiles, leaving guests to add more heat at the table by adding condiments such as chile oil, chile powder, and various sauces.

This powder packs a punch, so use only small amounts of it in recipes. The dried red chiles are dry-roasted for a few minutes in a skillet or over low heat on a grill. It’s important to not let them scorch, which would make them bitter. I grind mine with the seeds, using a food processor; you can also remove the seeds before you grind the chiles. The with-seeds version has more heat and is coarser looking. It’s worth making a large batch of this.

2 cups loosely packed dried red chiles

1. Place a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, lower the heat to medium and add the chiles. Keep moving them around in the pan to help them roast evenly and to prevent charred spots. After about 3 minutes, they will be softened, aromatic, and a little darkened. Alternatively, grill the chiles briefly on a charcoal grill over a low flame, turning them frequently to prevent scorching, until softened and aromatic. Remove from the pan or grill and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

2. Break off the stem ends of the chiles and discard. You can empty out and discard the seeds or keep them for a hotter powder. Using a food processor, or working in batches in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder, grind the chiles to a powder (be careful not to inhale it). Store in a clean, dry jar.

Deep-Fried Chayote Fingers

Serves 4

In Burma, this fried treat is made most often with bottle gourd, but chayote is more available in North America, so that’s what I use. Chayote is a pear-shaped gourd that originated in central America. Substitute zucchini if you wish.

These are easy to make and a real crowd-pleaser, crispy and tender at once, with a hint of ginger. Be sure to get your condiment sauces ready before you start cooking, because like any deep-fried snack, these are best eaten hot. Serve as a snack or appetizer or to accompany mohinga.

About ½ pound chayote (1 medium), bottle gourd, or zucchini

Batter

½ cup rice flour
⅛ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon salt
Scant ½ cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon minced ginger
Peanut oil for deep-frying

1. If using chayote or gourd, peel it lengthwise, cut into quarters, and scoop out the seed. Thinly slice lengthwise. If using zucchini, cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths and slice into matchsticks. Set aside on a plate.

2. Combine the rice flour, turmeric, and salt in a bowl. Add the water and whisk to blend to a smooth batter. Add the ginger and stir. Set aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, set out tongs, a spider, or a slotted spoon by the stove. Put out several more plates to receive the cooked vegetables.

3. Heat 2 inches of the oil in a deep fryer or a stable wok over medium to medium-high heat. Test the temperature by dropping a small spoonful of batter into the oil: it should sink and then rise, without burning. Stir the batter. Pick up a clump of 2 or 3 slices of chayote; drag them through the batter to coat and then slide into the oil. Once the batter starts cooking, it will hold the slices together in a bundle. Repeat with 3 or 4 more bundles, without crowding. Cook for 7 or 8 minutes, until golden all over, using tongs to move the bundles around so they cook evenly. When they’re done, lift them out of the oil, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining vegetable slices and batter.