| | Published March 12th, 2014
| Burmese Cuisine Comes to OrindaChef William Lue and Orinda's Theodore Wang open The Refined Palate
| | By Susie Iventosch |  | | Burmese Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup Photo Susie Iventosch |
A few weeks ago I was treated to a crash course in Burmese cuisine by chef William Lue, co-owner of The Refined Palate in Orinda. Apparently, Burmese cooking is heavily influenced by neighboring countries China and India, and some of the key ingredients are kafir lime leaves, lemon grass, fish or shrimp paste and chilies. One of the most celebrated Burmese dishes is the tea leaf salad.
"Lots of countries drink tea, but very few actually eat the tea leaves," Lue said.
He pointed out the differences between the ceremonial and regular versions of Burmese Tea Leaf Salad. The ceremonial version of the dish is comprised of a variety of nuts and seeds and special tea leaves imported from Burma. The tea leaves, carefully selected for their tenderness, are boiled for five minutes and then fermented for several weeks in a clay jar. During this process, they develop a certain tanginess. The salad is then tossed at the table in lemon juice and garnished with dried shrimp, fresh garlic and chilies. Lue said that he or his servers offer an explanation of the ingredients and the tradition while tossing the salad.
"When you take a bite of this salad, it feels like the ingredients are dancing on your tongue," Lue said. "It is a multi-dimensional dish with different textures, flavors and spiciness."
The regular tea leaf salad is more substantial and bulky, including cabbage, lettuce and tomatoes in addition to the ceremonial salad ingredients. This salad is tossed with fish sauce.
The special tea leaves used in these salads are difficult to find, but Lue imports them and will sell them to customers. Still, I thought it would be fun to have a recipe with more commonly available ingredients, so he offered to share his recipe for another traditional Burmese dish: Ono KauSwe, a coconut-chicken noodle soup. The recipe below is based upon Lue's description of how he makes it, but because he has been making the dish for so many years he doesn't really measure quantities. So, I had to wing it a little bit. We were quite pleased with the results, but I am certainly anxious to try his version at The Refined Palate!
Lue hails from a family of chefs. Both of his parents were in the restaurant business, as were all of his siblings, at some point in their lives. Lue has been starting and operating restaurants since 1971, but he has a unique business model. Because he immigrated to the United States when he was just 14 years old, speaking not a word of English, he has a special interest in helping others in the same situation. So, he helps young chefs, who've recently arrived to the states, by starting restaurants, pulling permits and licenses, and setting these chefs up in fully operating restaurants. He mentors them and when they are ready, they can buy the restaurant from Lue and take off on their own. He then moves on to the next project. He has started more than 20 restaurants over the years.
The Refined Palate is owned by Lue and his good friend, Theodore Wang of Orinda. Lue said they both enjoy good food and thought why not introduce Burmese cuisine to Orinda? This way people won't have to travel to San Francisco, where there are a lot of Burmese restaurants. Lue and Wang have employed an interesting concept of using a set of rotating chefs, two at a time, to see who is the best fit for the restaurant and who is better suited for the busy lunch rush and who is a better fit for the more relaxed dinner crowd. Sort of like their version of the Next Great Chef Contest!
This is a great time for locals to sample a variety of Burmese chef creations, all in one location!
The Refined Palate
19 Orinda Way, Suite F, Orinda
Phone: (925) 566-4877
Website: www.refinedpalateorinda.com
Email: info@refinedpalateorinda.com
Open Monday through
Saturday
Lunch, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Dinner, 5-9 p.m.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA