The Kayan Chilli Pork Chop Shan Noodles fusion recipe is a collaboration between the Kayan Farmer Enterprise and the Princess Irrawaddy restaurant (where it will be on menu throughout Food Fusion Week!)
A take on a classic dish, the inspiration for this recipe came about when the ingredient of the Kayan chillis finally met a chef working in a family-inherited noodle house. The spicy, fruity flavour of the chilli (used as a chilli oil and rub in the recipe) ties in together the Western pork cut, with a noodle dish from Myanmar’s north.
Grown and harvested in 30 villages in Pekon, Southern Shan state, on hills that are between three and five thousand feet above sea level, the Kayan chilli is considered one of the spiciest in Myanmar. While it has a kick, the chillis also have a bodied fruitiness to them, and therefore offer versatile use in the kitchen — made into powders, pastes, flakes, and more, they offer a unique spice to traditional cooking.
Chef Mie Mie grew up in Myitkyina, and witnessed the way her mother, and other women in the community, cook the same dish, each with their own unique twists. She believes that this communal adaptation of recipes is an important part of cooking culture. Mie Mie had been trying different ways to use pork chops with her Shan noodle, but she said it hadn’t been completed until she was able to combine them with the chillis.
Dr. Naing started the Kayan Farmer Enterprise in 2018, when he combined his passion for the spicy chilis, with his desire to help spread profits to local Pekon farmers. He considers the Kayan chilli a cultural inheritance that he wants to share with people across Myanmar, and the world. His passion led him to collaborate with the EU.
In 2022, through the EU-funded ARISE+ project, the Kayan Farmer Enterprise was able to showcase their products at the International Trade Fair in Paris. Receiving website and branding assistance, they were able to elevate and market their product to an international audience!
Try it at Princess Irrawaddy
16, Kyauk Kone street, Yankon township, Yangon
+95 9269675228
https://www.facebook.com/princessirrawddy/about
