I fondly remember my mother cooking authentic beef curry in Rangoon when I was young. We used to live in a flat on what was then known as Strand Road facing the Rangoon river, and as a child I remember gazing across the Rangoon river toward Dhalla.

Burmese curries although called "curries" do not have curry powder or garam masala as in Indian curries. The main ingredients are meat/poultry, oil, tumeric powder, dried chillies, onion, garlic, ginger and the ubiquitous fish sauce.

The distinctive flavour comes from the dried chillies. Chillie powder is not normally used.
The dried whole chillies are soaked in hot water and when soft pulverized with a granite pestle and mortar together with onion, garlic and ginger.
Most recipies found on the web purporting to be "Burmese curry" have either Chinese or Indian influence and are really not Burmese curries.

The curry goes very well with jasmine rice and "hingar", another clear Burmese soup containing of course the ubiquitous fish sauce again !

Try and cook it and you'll be hooked !!