East Asian cuisine has been gaining more popularity in India than ever before. A few decades ago, Chinese (and more often Chindian) food restaurants were about as close as most people could come to exploring the cuisines of East Asia, but now Japanese, Korean and even Burmese cuisine are becoming mainstays of our restaurant scene. But there is one dish that has had a link to East Asia, long before sushi and ramen became buzzwords, and that’s the Memoni Muslim dish Khausa which has some inextricable ties with the Burmese favourite, Ohn no khao swe or as we call it colloquially, Khow Suey.
The Journey Of The Memoni Community
Nirun Kot, located in present-day Hyderabad-Sindh was once inhabited by a community known as the Lohanas who were originally Buddhist but slowly embraced the Hindu beliefs of their surroundings. As the Islamic empire grew, in 1422 AD, Abu Zakaria Yahya Yusufuddin, arrived in Sindh to promote Islam. After ten years of effort, he successfully converted 700 families of the Lohanas to Islam. These converted families formed a community and called themselves Momins.
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Over time, the term "Momin" evolved into "Memon." This conversion caused religious and social tension, so these 700 families relocated to Variya, near Thattha. A few years later, approximately 600 Memons migrated to Halar in Kathiawar, where they settled permanently, becoming known as Halari or Halai Memons. One hundred years later, the remaining 100 families in Variya moved to Bhuj, the capital of Kutch, and were called Kutchi Memons. Some Kutchi Memons later migrated to Okha and became known as Okhai Memons.
In Surat, Gujarat, which was a significant trading centre Memons found prosperity in seafaring business pursuits. Some of these Memons later made their way to Bombay. Meanwhile, Memon farmers who chose to remain in Southern Sindh came to be known as Sindhi Memons. After the partition of India, the community was split between India and Pakistan.
The Link Between Memons And Myanmar
This Muslim community originally hailing from Gujarat and now with a strong community in Karachi, have long been known as the mercantile mainstay of our country and have historically been involved in trading via sea routes. This business meant they had strong ties with Myanmar (erstwhile Burma) and during pre-independence days would regularly travel between the two countries for trade with some families even settling there in Akyub which is now known as Sitwe.
Post-independence, a lot of these Memons moved back to India bringing with them the dish they called Khausa which utilised Italian spaghetti in a chicken curry and topped with aromatics and fried dough. Though at first glance it may look more like an Indian dish, or at best a strange Italian fusion, it bears a distinct resemblance to the popular Burmese counterpart.
Tracing The Thai Past Of The Dish
There is another layer to the story which finds a home in modern-day Thailand. It’s believed that the dish Khao Soi, which also has many similarities to both the Burmese and Memoni versions evolved from Chinese Muslim traders along the spice routes of Northern Thailand that was at the time under Burmese control.
The Link Between Khao Soi, Ohn no khao swè and Khausa
As we know it today, the Burmese Ohn no khao swè - is a rich curried chicken and coconut milk broth with a serving of egg noodles milk base, which is then typically garnished with crunchy fried noodles, boiled eggs, shallots, fried garlic, dried chilli, lime, coriander, and sometimes fried chickpea fritters.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, Khao Soi is derived from the words khao meaning rice and soi which means very finely cut. There are a few theories regarding the origin of the term "khao suey." One theory suggests that it may have originated from the process of making rice noodles by julienning sheets of dough. Another theory proposes that "khao" is a shortened form of "khao salee," which means wheat. Additionally, some believe that the word could be influenced by a Burmese name.
The Memoni version is much in the same vein with wheat noodles topped with a spiced chicken and coconut curry and then topped with chillies, ginger and deep-fried samosa dough strips for crunch along with a flourish of chaat masala. Visually, the dishes look very similar, but Khausa has the unmistakable flavours of a more Indian tadka.
It’s arguably one of the most well-travelled dishes that has become a staple part of the Indian vocabulary. From its links to Pakistan, Thailand and Myanmar as well as via its early ancestors who carried this recipe on their travels, it encompasses a rich history of Asian cuisine spanning centuries and proves that food can be the secret to unlocking common ground between communities.