I must admit I much prefer its competitor ohn-no kauk-swe (coconut noodle soup), which gives mohinga a good run for its money. However, let’s talk about mohinga first…

It’s a rich fish noodle broth but isn’t generally too fishy in taste. The variation in the broth comes down to the recipe and cooking style, which depends on which part of Burma the cook is from!

The broth starts with a smooth taste and after the extra bits and pieces are added, to your liking, the dish transforms into a mixture of textures and flavours starting with the crunch of split pea fritters, the silky slippery rice noodles, the chilli kick, the zingy lime and fresh coriander. It makes for a truly unique burst of flavours in one mouthful….maybe I’m not so sure which noodle dish I prefer……..mmm, need to rethink this one?

Mohinga is usually eaten at breakfast but really people also eat this any time of the day as a snack. It’s ubiquitous, sold by street food vendors, local tea shops and restaurants alike.

Today I am told the temperature is between 34 to 36 degrees centigrade, humidity is about 70-80% no rain forecast. We should be at the start of the rainy season now being late May however, the rains have not yet poured in Rangoon. You can see a few grey clouds in the distant but that’s about it. This is going to make the filming a somewhat challenging afternoon in the garden, probably at the hottest time of the day! A test of humankind!

I have been here less than 24 hrs, coming from a warm Manchester of 23 degrees centigrade naively thinking this will acclimatise me. I don’t think it has quite prepared me sufficiently for temperatures double that.

We are going to be shown how to cook some traditional Burmese dishes; mohinga, laphet thoke (fermented pickled tea leaf salad – another unique dish to Burma), fish curry (see-pyan), which is a dryish curry, and aseihn gyaw (a mixed vegetable stir fry).

I cannot wait as these are the typical dishes of Burma I grew up with (in London) and very familiar with, and the first two (mohinga and laphet) are eaten all over Burma…..

Apologies for the lack of photos on this post. My brother, the producer, director, press officer, now unofficial photographer, did not manage to get any shots of mohinga. I have tried to upload the film clip of the cooking but alas, this isn’t working either…. please bear with me and watch this space!