Sanpiau is another comfort food that is found in all cultures across borders. It is essentially a rice congee from the northeastern state of Mizoram. This preparation uses an ethnic form of rice that is so delicate that it is almost edible once it is soaked. This rice is traditionally slow-cooked with country chicken.

Chef Ankur Chakraborty, Co-founder of The Crossing, Dubai, said, “However, we use fresh chicken from local UAE farms. In the slow cooking, we add flavorful herbs from the region, like lemongrass and ethnic ginger, which looks like galangal but is more ginger.”

He added, “While we were training for the restaurant, some of our team members who hail from Myanmar came across this dish and said it is also called Sanpiao in their native country. The idea of crossing goes beyond borders. The state of Mizoram touches China on the north, Myanmar on the east, and Southeast Asia on the south. In fact, historically, Myanmar was called Burma, a very important port of trade and a very important city of trade called Rangoon. All of this was one big sub-continental India presently separated by political borders. Food knows no borders, and it is represented so well in this dish.”

Here is an exclusive recipe by Chef Ankur Chakraborty, Co-founder of The Crossing, Dubai:

Chef Ankur Chakraborty’s Sanpiau Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes (for washing rice, chopping ingredients, and soaking dry chillies)

Cook time: 3 hours (for slow cooking the rice and chicken)

Total time: 3 hours 15 minutes

Serves: 2–3 people

Ingredients  

For Sanpiau 

• Rice Jasmine – 100 gm
• Water – 1.25 Litre
• Lime Leaves – 2
• Lemon Grass – 5 gm
• Galangal – 8 gm
• Salt To Taste 
• Chicken Thigh Boneless – 100 gm

For Sambal Sauce 

• Chopped Spring Onion – 50 gm
• Chopped Fresh Onion – 5 gm 
• Finely Minced Ginger Fresh -10 gm
• Dry chilli, soaked and pasted Kashmiri red chilli paste – 10 gm
• Chopped Coriander Leaves Fresh – 15 gm
• Sunflower Oil / Garlic Oil – 20 ml
• Chilli Flakes – 5 gm
• Light Soya Sauce – 150 ml 
• Palm Vinegar – 30 gm
• Sugar – 1/2 gm

Method

For Sambal Sauce 

1. Mix all the ingredients and bring to a slow simmer. 
2. Adjust the seasoning and cool for future use. 

For Sanpiau 

1. Soak the jasmine rice and leave overnight.
2. Wash the rice under cold running water for 15 minutes and boil it in a stock pot. 
3. Add all the herbs and chicken thighs to it. 
4. Slow cook for about 3 hours, adding water as and when needed. 
5. Adjust the salt. 
6. Serve hot with the sambal sauce and a soft poached egg.