cdkitchen > cooking experts > amy powell
I’ve never been to Burma, but I think I know what Burma tastes like. Spicy tomato sauce curries bath river fishes. Tea leaves and garlic blend together in punchy salad dressings. Chewy long noodles breathe fire with the power of clove upon clove of garlic. Close my eyes tight enough and I can almost picture myself there.
This time of year I find myself taking frequent vacations in my mouth. As the winter drags on I would kill for a beach vacation, but time and money are not permitting. So a meal born of warmer, tropical climates is all it takes to satisfy my travel itch, at least for an hour or so. If I have never actually visited the country in question it is no matter, the taste is enough to transport me beyond these shores.
I have been to Thailand a few times, and wouldn’t hesitate to go back again. But until that day I satisfy my Thai craving with food. If it is the beaches of the South I am missing, a good sautéed chili crab will take me back to the fish shacks of Phuket. Putting my face over a bowl of coconut soup with Kaffir lime, lemongrass, and seafood, I can almost picture my toes the sand, balancing on a plastic chair at a table that is too low, salt air blowing sun bleached hair. If the lush green of the North is haunting my travel memories, I’ll whip up a sauté of ground pork seasoned with fiery red chilies, pungent dried shrimp, lime juice, and cilantro and I’m instantly back in the hills around Chiang Mai.
A little snow on the ground is no deterrent from whipping up dinner with a Polynesian flair. Dinner of Hawaiian white fish like Ono or Mahi Mahi on a roll with a slice of grilled pineapple takes me on a virtual trip right to the sands of Lahaina. The tomatoes might be from a hothouse in California but in a salad with sweet Maui onions and butter lettuce I can almost feel like I’m there. And if I’m missing my favorite locals hangout in Honolulu, Side Street Inn, I just need to fry up a few pork chops, grill Kalbi short ribs, whip up some fried rice, and invite a bunch of friends over for a family style feast worthy of the islands.
If the wanderlust gets really bad, I don’t necessarily need to cook from memory to take a trip to virtual destinations. If the Travel Channel has been in heavy rotation I might be lamenting the fact I have still never set foot in South America. A meaty barbeque of sausages and steak with purple potatoes and good Mendoza wine would be the next best thing to actually travelling to Argentina. Or perhaps I’d borrow one of my Brazilian friend’s recipes and try my hand at a traditional dish like moqueca, made her way with shrimps simmered in coconut milk and palm oil, all washed down with a potent caipirinha or two.
This past week I was craving the exotic. The corruption in Burma has made travel there difficult enough that I don’t believe I’ll be visiting anytime soon. But if the Burmese food brought to the United States by immigrants is even remotely close to what they make in the country itself then I know I will need to get there one day.
In the meantime, I satisfied my appetite for adventure at home with a version of a dish served at the San Francisco restaurant Burma Superstar: catfish braised in tomato based curry with hints of coriander, cardamom and a whisper of cinnamon. Some tender looking okra had just arrived at the store so I cooked those in with the tomatoes before placing the fish on top to gently simmer until just cooked through. Over rice, this was a one-pot wonder that filled my kitchen with aromas transporting me to a place I want to visit so badly, I can taste it.
If I can’t be actually travelling all the time then the next best thing is bring those flavors home to the kitchen. And whether I’m reliving a tropical trip to get me through the cold of winter or I’m using food to travel to places I have yet to see in person, there is nothing like a good meal to take me on a mini vacation in my mouth.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1136-international-flavors/
Vacation In My Mouth
I’ve never been to Burma, but I think I know what Burma tastes like. Spicy tomato sauce curries bath river fishes. Tea leaves and garlic blend together in punchy salad dressings. Chewy long noodles breathe fire with the power of clove upon clove of garlic. Close my eyes tight enough and I can almost picture myself there.
This time of year I find myself taking frequent vacations in my mouth. As the winter drags on I would kill for a beach vacation, but time and money are not permitting. So a meal born of warmer, tropical climates is all it takes to satisfy my travel itch, at least for an hour or so. If I have never actually visited the country in question it is no matter, the taste is enough to transport me beyond these shores.
I have been to Thailand a few times, and wouldn’t hesitate to go back again. But until that day I satisfy my Thai craving with food. If it is the beaches of the South I am missing, a good sautéed chili crab will take me back to the fish shacks of Phuket. Putting my face over a bowl of coconut soup with Kaffir lime, lemongrass, and seafood, I can almost picture my toes the sand, balancing on a plastic chair at a table that is too low, salt air blowing sun bleached hair. If the lush green of the North is haunting my travel memories, I’ll whip up a sauté of ground pork seasoned with fiery red chilies, pungent dried shrimp, lime juice, and cilantro and I’m instantly back in the hills around Chiang Mai.
A little snow on the ground is no deterrent from whipping up dinner with a Polynesian flair. Dinner of Hawaiian white fish like Ono or Mahi Mahi on a roll with a slice of grilled pineapple takes me on a virtual trip right to the sands of Lahaina. The tomatoes might be from a hothouse in California but in a salad with sweet Maui onions and butter lettuce I can almost feel like I’m there. And if I’m missing my favorite locals hangout in Honolulu, Side Street Inn, I just need to fry up a few pork chops, grill Kalbi short ribs, whip up some fried rice, and invite a bunch of friends over for a family style feast worthy of the islands.
If the wanderlust gets really bad, I don’t necessarily need to cook from memory to take a trip to virtual destinations. If the Travel Channel has been in heavy rotation I might be lamenting the fact I have still never set foot in South America. A meaty barbeque of sausages and steak with purple potatoes and good Mendoza wine would be the next best thing to actually travelling to Argentina. Or perhaps I’d borrow one of my Brazilian friend’s recipes and try my hand at a traditional dish like moqueca, made her way with shrimps simmered in coconut milk and palm oil, all washed down with a potent caipirinha or two.
This past week I was craving the exotic. The corruption in Burma has made travel there difficult enough that I don’t believe I’ll be visiting anytime soon. But if the Burmese food brought to the United States by immigrants is even remotely close to what they make in the country itself then I know I will need to get there one day.
In the meantime, I satisfied my appetite for adventure at home with a version of a dish served at the San Francisco restaurant Burma Superstar: catfish braised in tomato based curry with hints of coriander, cardamom and a whisper of cinnamon. Some tender looking okra had just arrived at the store so I cooked those in with the tomatoes before placing the fish on top to gently simmer until just cooked through. Over rice, this was a one-pot wonder that filled my kitchen with aromas transporting me to a place I want to visit so badly, I can taste it.
If I can’t be actually travelling all the time then the next best thing is bring those flavors home to the kitchen. And whether I’m reliving a tropical trip to get me through the cold of winter or I’m using food to travel to places I have yet to see in person, there is nothing like a good meal to take me on a mini vacation in my mouth.
Catfish Curry with Tomatoes and Okra
Made with coriander seeds, cardamom pods, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, red dried chiles, vegetable oil, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes
Made with coriander seeds, cardamom pods, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, red dried chiles, vegetable oil, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes
Serves/Makes: 2
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 4 cardamom pods lightly crushed
- OR
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 small red dried chiles, whole
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 can (14 ounce size) diced tomatoes
- 1/2 pound okra
- 1 cup water
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound catfish
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- rice
Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, and chilies to the dry pan. Cook stirring for about 30 seconds until spices are fragrant. Add oil and reduce heat to medium. Add sliced onions and cook for about 3 minutes until softened slightly. Add garlic and cook for an additional two minutes until garlic is soft but not brown.
Meanwhile trim woody ends from okra and cut into one inch pieces. Add tomatoes, okra, water and some salt and pepper to the saute pan. Stir and cover. Simmer for about 5 minutes until okra has begun to soften but isn't mushy.
Season fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Stir half the chopped cilantro into the tomatoes. Nestle fish into the sauce and cover again with the lid. Simmer fish for 7-10 minutes until cooked through, turning once during cooking to coat with sauce. If liquid is evaporating too quickly, add some warm water to the pan.
To serve, plate fish on a bed of rice and surround with tomato and okra sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.
share this article:
related articles
Write a comment:
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1136-international-flavors/