Sanwin makin from Myanmar

Sanwin Makin from Myanmar

The cuisine of Myanmar (formerly Burma) is heavily influenced by its neighbors India, China and Thailand. The origin of most of its sweet snacks and desserts lies in India. In the traditional Myanmar sanwin makin – a cross between a cake and a cookie – you will find quite a few Indian ingredients and flavors. Cardamom, ghee and semolina are used in many Indian sweet treats and desserts. The dough for sanwin makin is made by boiling up coconut cream with semolina and sugar into a thick paste. You then fold in the eggs to get some air into the mixture. I had never made a cake/cookie this way and had not thought that the result would be so fluffy and tasty. You should not bake this as a treat for people who are on a diet. The coconut cream and the butter give sanwin makin its rich taste and texture but they also add a lot of calories. But then again, sometimes nibbling on something so nice and tasty makes sinning seem sensible. Nice? Why don’t you try my variation: Ginger-poppyseed sanwin makin.

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Sanwin makin
For about 20 pieces

ingredients

200 grams (7 oz) creamed coconut
240 milliliter (1 cup) water
(or use 450 grams / 2 cups coconut cream instead of the creamed coconut and the water)
175 grams (1 cup) semolina
200 (1 scant cup)  sugar
125 grams grams (½ cup + 1 tbs) unsalted butter or ghee + extra to grease the baking tin
pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon cardamom
3 eggs
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

grate the creamed coconut

Grate the creamed coconut.

semolina, creamed coconut and sugar

In a large saucepan melt the coconut cream with the water, the semolina and the sugar on low heat. Bring to the boil and keep stirring until the mixture becomes thicker.

add butter

Stir in the butter and keep stirring on low heat until the mixture becomes very thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan.

egg yolk, cardamom and salt

Take from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Grease a baking tin (28 x 18 cm / 11 x 7 inches) and line the bottom with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 165°C / 325°F.
Add the salt and the cardamom.Separate the eggs and stir the yolks through the mixture.

fold in egg whites

Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks and fold them into the batter.

ready for the oven

Spoon the mixture in the baking tin and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake the sanwin makin in the middle of the oven for about 45 min. Leave to cool in the tin for about 5 mins.

cut into diamonds

Leave to cool and cut into diamonds.

This post is also available in: Dutch