Mont Lin Ma Yar (မုန့်လင်မယား) — Burmese Husband-and-Wife Rice Cakes

• 180 grice flour
• 30 gglutinous rice flour
• 60 gcooked jasmine rice (cooled)
• 360 mlwater
• 120 mlcoconut milk
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 1 tspgranulated sugar
• 0.25 tspground turmeric
• 0.25 tspbaking soda
• 12quail eggs
• 90 gyellow split peas (cooked and drained, from 35 g dry peas)
• 4scallions (thinly sliced)
• 25 gfried shallots
• 1 tbsptoasted white sesame seeds
• 3 tbsppeanut oil
• 30 gtamarind pulp
• 90 mlhot water
• 20 gpalm sugar (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsplime juice
• 0.5 tspdried chile flakes
• 1 clovegarlic (finely grated)

Instructions

1. 1

   Put the cooked jasmine rice, water, and coconut milk in a blender and blend for 45 seconds, until the rice is completely broken down. Add the rice flour, glutinous rice flour, 1 tsp salt, sugar, turmeric, and baking soda, then blend for 20 seconds more to make a smooth, pourable batter.

2. 2

   Pour the batter into a bowl, cover it, and let it rest for 30 minutes so the rice flour hydrates properly. After resting, stir it for 15 seconds; it should flow like thin pancake batter and coat a spoon in an even layer.

3. 3

   Make the dipping sauce while the batter rests. Soak the tamarind pulp in 90 ml hot water for 10 minutes, press it through a fine sieve, then stir in the palm sugar, lime juice, chile flakes, 0.5 tsp salt, and grated garlic until the sugar dissolves.

4. 4

   Arrange the quail eggs, cooked yellow split peas, scallions, fried shallots, and sesame seeds beside the stove before you begin cooking. Mont lin ma yar cooks quickly, so this Burmese mont technique works best when every topping is measured and within reach.

5. 5

   Heat a cast-iron mont lin ma yar pan, takoyaki pan, or aebleskiver pan over medium heat for 4 minutes. Brush the hollows with 1 tbsp peanut oil for the first batch, then pour 1 tbsp batter into each hollow you are using.

6. 6

   For each pair, crack 1 quail egg into one batter-filled hollow and add 1 tsp cooked yellow split peas plus 0.5 tsp scallions to the neighboring hollow. Sprinkle the pea side with a small pinch from the measured fried shallots and sesame seeds, keeping enough topping for all 12 pairs.

7. 7

   Cook the cakes for 3 minutes, until the rims look set and the undersides are golden. Use two bamboo skewers or small spoons to lift one egg half and one pea half, press them together gently, and cook the joined pair for 2 minutes more, turning once to seal the seam.

8. 8

   Transfer the finished husband-and-wife cakes to a warm plate and repeat with the remaining batter, toppings, and 2 tbsp peanut oil. Serve immediately with the tamarind dipping sauce, because the contrast between crisp edges and soft centers is best within 10 minutes of cooking.