Mandi House, Grand Launch

Meet the Chaza Queen of Karachi and proud owner of Juniper Kitchens, Shama! I had the absolute pleasure of being invited to her home for a lunch that left me in awe of the versatility found in Burmese cuisine. While Shama herself isn't Burmese, her ancestors have had a long-standing history with visiting Burma and adapting their local cuisine into their home. For those of you who don't know, Shama offers catering services and has a devoted clientele for her home-based catering services named Juniper Kitchens.

I visited Shama's beautiful home with my friend Lailumah Shah, where we were welcomed with a refreshing hibiscus drink and an assortment of snacks including roasted and salted nuts, dried mango, and spicy tamarind. After a while, the table was laid with an assortment of salads, appetizers and entrees that was too much food for just 2 people.

We started with the green tea leaf salad, a spicy mix of crunchy, nutty notes and the subtle fragrance of top tier green tea. I then moved on to the fried lauki, or bottle gourd, if we're going to be angrez about lauki. Had just this dish been on the table, my trip there would have been worth it! Perfectly seasoned, crunchy tempura batter coating the freshest lauki one can possibly find, served with the perfect onion and coriander dipping sauce that elevated the flavor profile of a beautifully fried vegetable.

We then moved on to the noodles, the first Shama urged us to try was the fried khaosey, which we were advised to have with her homemade chili oil. I wish she would bottle that stuff up and sell it in the market because I absolutely love a good chili oil! The fried khaosey had a generous topping of fried garlic and onion, which I thought I wouldn't like, but it went perfectly with the whole dish. After this, came the Atho, a noodle dish served with boiled eggs, and this dish had the added texture of fresh onions, and while it was extremely flavorful, there was no battle for which ingredient had the most flavor. Everything was perfectly balanced in this dish.

We then moved on to the Burmese palatas, essentially a paratha, but stuffed with the most delicious chicken mince I have ever had! Give the mince to me with roti, and even then I would gladly eat it, but stuffed into the pillowy paratha, this was perhaps the dish I ate the most!

We saved the best for last because after all, Shama is the Chaza Queen, and it was truly a delight to immerse ourselves into the flavors and textures of this delicate noodle dish served with the creamy, smooth and subtley flavored broth with generous portions of chicken and vegetables. I added a spritz of fresh lemon and coriander to mine, but you can also add green chilies, fried onion and fried garlic. I honestly thought I couldn't eat a bite more after this feast, but Shama served a dessert I couldn't resist. Keeping with the summer mango theme, this creamy, nutty dessert with generous bites of mango and shaved coconut, I can't describe this treat to you, honestly. It just made me realize that there truly is a separate portion in our stomachs for dessert.

By the end of our meal, both Lailu and I were in a complete food coma, and made our way to the car with immense difficulty. If there's anything I can end with, it is to please not deprive your taste buds of Juniper Kitchens' scrumptious Burmese cuisine, and try it at least once!