7 specialties to try in Myanmar

Tea leaves salad, Shan rice or curry are delicious dishes "hard to resist" that visitors cannot ignore. Myanmar cuisine has a blend of South and Southeast Asian cultures, with unique local ingredients.

Tea leaf salad

Myanmar is one of the few countries that uses tea leaves to eat. Tea leaves salad (lephet) is a national favorite and is often served at celebrations or special occasions. This dish can be used for light meals or served with rice as the main meal. However, Myanmar people recommend tea leaf salad can cause insomnia if visitors eat too much.

Sour, slightly bitter tea leaves are mixed with shredded cabbage, sliced ​​tomatoes, beans, garlic oil and hot chili peppers. Photo: Shutterstock.

Shan rice

The rice of the Shan people (a tribe in Myanmar) is known by another name: nga htamin (fish rice). The rice is cooked with turmeric gold powder, served with fish and garlic oil. Along with spices like garlic, chili, pepper and rice, Shan-style rice is a favorite dish for those who like spicy food.

Myanmar curry

Visiting traditional Burmese restaurants, tourists will not only be full of food but also have interesting culinary experiences, such as enjoying Myanmar curry.

As the name of the dish, curry is the main ingredient, but visitors can choose to eat pork, beef, lamb or seafood. At the curry shop for Muslims, Myanmar curry will be eaten with vegetables, lentils ...

Besides curry, visitors will be served rice, tea leaf salad, stir-fried vegetables, soups and a large tray of freshly boiled vegetables and various sauces. One interesting thing about enjoying a serving of Myanmar curry is that you will receive more traditional Myanmar desserts - pickled tea leaves and dried nuts.

Myanmar pudding tea

Besides milk tea, the tea shop is also a great place for visitors to learn about Myanmar dishes. The Burmese teahouse owner usually serves traditional local noodles or rice dishes. Whereas Indian teahouses or Muslims often serve snacks such as fried cakes served with curry of potatoes, toast ... Tea shops with a Chinese boss again steamed dumplings, dumplings or cakes.

The side dishes at the tea house will often reflect the identity of the store. Photo: The Culture Trip / Max Falkowitz.

Fried foods

Burmese have a passion for greasy dishes, so it's easy to find fried cakes on the streets of Myanmar such as spring rolls, salty donuts, fried bread ...

The recommended dish to try is buthi kyaw (fried squash zucchini). Hot and crispy crackers will be served with a special sweet and sour tamarind sauce.

Shan-style tofu noodles

One of the strange dishes in Myanmar is hto-hpu nwe, which literally means "warm tofu". Originating from the Shan ethnic people in northern Myanmar, the dish does not really include tofu but rather a thick porridge made from mung bean flour.

The bean porridge is topped with noodles, served with chicken or pork, some chili oil, sweet and sour vegetables and broth. It is a strange combination but worth a try.

Mohinga fish noodles

Considered by many to be the typical dish of Myanmar people. Bun has a rich broth made from fish and herbs. To make the dish more tasty, visitors can squeeze lemon and add dried chili. As a favorite breakfast dish of the people here, but fish noodles are also sold all day as a popular snack in street vendors.

Vermicelli consists of a sliced ​​boiled egg and akyaw (deep fried vegetables) and a plate of lentil flour. Photo: Saveur.