Htamin Jin — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Tangy rice balls formed by hand from rice cooked with turmeric and mixed with fish flakes, onion oil, and fermented flavors. These portable snacks are a staple of Burmese markets and picnics.

Ingredients

500g jasmine rice
1 teaspoon turmeric
100g dried fish flakes
3 tablespoons onion oil
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons chickpea flour, toasted
Fresh cilantro
Green chilies, sliced

Instructions

1 Cook jasmine rice with turmeric and a little oil until fluffy and evenly golden from the turmeric.
2 While rice is warm, mix in fish flakes, onion oil, fish sauce, and toasted chickpea flour until well combined.
3 Allow the mixture to cool slightly until it can be handled, then form into golf-ball-sized rounds using dampened hands.
4 Arrange the rice balls on a plate and garnish each with a pinch of diced onion and cilantro leaf.
5 Serve with sliced green chilies and extra fish sauce on the side for dipping.
6 The rice balls can be wrapped in banana leaves for transport, lasting several hours at room temperature.

Did You Know?

Htamin jin translates to sour rice, and the slight tanginess comes from a natural fermentation process that also helps preserve the rice balls in Myanmar's tropical heat.