Chin Baung Kyaw (Fried Roselle)

Roselle is a popular vegetable of Myanmar people. It’s botanical name is Hibiscus sandariffa. We use it to make thin soup, fry, or even make jam out of roselle buds. The soups and fried roselle dishes are to give the sour taste in a well-balanced Myanmar meal to counter affect the sweet or rich dishes. Although roselle grow in abundance in places like Myanmar, other countries either do not grow because they’re not used to eating roselle or the plant just doesn’t grow well in their climates. Myanmar people living abroad usually substitute spinach for roselle to cook a very popular Myanmar dish, fried roselle. While spinach does not give the acidic taste of roselle, it is the closest. One has to add tamarind powder or fresh tamarind mixed with water to bring about the sourness in the spinach substituted dish. Recipe...