STOPOVER
food
FAHTHAI
31
M
yanmar’s cuisine has long
been overshadowed by those
of bordering gastronomical
superpowers India, China
and Thailand. But as the country opens up
(haphazardly) to the world, Myanmar’s
unique food heritage – which borrows from
its neighbours while maintaining an identity
very much its own – is standing up to be
counted. Here are five food favourites and
two beverages to look out for...
1
MOHINGA
Rich, salty and satisfying,
mohinga
is Myanmar’s national
dish. Wherever you are, be it
Yangon, Mandalay or the nation’s
capital, Nay Pyi Taw, strangers
may approach you on the street
to tell you where to enjoy this
dish. Essentially rice noodles
in a seafood broth, mohinga is
flavoured with garlic, onions,
lemongrass, banana tree stem,
ginger and (often large) chunks
of catfish. Though it’s most
commonly eaten for breakfast,
mohinga is available throughout
the day at cafés and restaurants
nationwide. Yangon’s
Street 51
,
home to the city’s best mohinga-
only cafés, is a great place to give
the dish a try.
2
LAPHET THOKE
Myanmar is one of the only
countries where tea is eaten as
well as drunk. By far the most
popular tea dish is
laphet thoke
– a fermented tea-leaf salad.
Served with peanuts, sesame seeds,
garlic, peanut oil, tomato and
dried shrimp, laphet thoke has an
unforgettable flavour and texture.
Primarily served as a side dish or
snack, it’s surprisingly filling.
3
MYANMAR MILK TEA
Tea looms large in Myanmar’s
culture. Its teahouses, where
people come to chat and unwind,
are key focal points in both its
rural and urban communities.
While green tea is popular,
Burmese-style milk tea – smooth,
frothy and delicately spiced – is
the one to plum for. Teashops
begin by brewing black tea
leaves for several hours before
adding condensed milk and sugar.
Cinnamon and nutmeg can also be
added for extra spice.
4
SANWIN MAKIN
A popular street food or
dessert,
sanwin makin
is a cake
made from semolina flour, coconut
and almonds. Interestingly, sellers
all seem to have their own style of
making the dish. Cakes come in
different shapes, sizes and colours.
That said, they’re always moist
and sweet and go great with a cup
of milk tea.
5
HIN HTOKE (OR HIN HTOTE)
This is one of the real
highlights of Myanmar’s eclectic
range of dishes. Pounded rice is
combined with spring onions,
fish sauce, a dash of oil and either
pork or chicken. The mixture is
then wrapped in a banana leaf
and steamed. The wedge-shaped
mouthfuls are then served with a
sprinkle of roasted garlic on top.
For a particularly good
hin hotke
,
head to Shan Yoe Yar Restaurant
on Yangon’s
War Tan Street
.
6
COCONUT NOODLE SOUP
This dish hails from northern
Myanmar’s Shan State but borrows
something from the cuisines of each
of the nation’s neighbours. The
soup is prepared using ginger and
onion purée, which along with the
inclusion of turmeric and chickpea
flour suggests an Indian influence.
Thailand’s food culture comes in to
the picture in the form of coconut
milk while the pan-cooked chicken
and spring onion garnish point
to Chinese cuisine. The result,
however, is a creamy, satisfying
dish that’s vintage Myanmar.
7
MANDALAY BEER
Whoever said that the
Burmese can’t brew beer was
talking nonsense! This brew may
finish second in the popularity
stakes to the omnipresent
Myanmar Beer, but by no means
does it play second fiddle in
the taste department. Light and
refreshing, Mandalay Beer is a
typically mild and slightly sweet,
Asian-style lager. It’s the perfect
complement to both Myanmar’s
strongly flavoured food and its
tropical climate.
Presenting our Burmese
food-and-drink survival guide...
Top
of the
table
Bangkok Airways
now flies daily to
all three major
cities in Myanmar
- Yangon,
Mandalay and
Nay Pyi Taw
D I N I N G
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