I didn’t know much about the food from Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, before this week. I had a vague idea that it was an Asian country but that was about it, so this week was very informative!
Myanmar is located in Southeast Asia. It was known as Burma until 1989, when the military government officially changed the English translation from early Burmese. Both names are possible translations and many people do not accept the new name as they do not recognise the legitimacy or authority of the military government.
Numerous early civilizations once inhabited the area, forming small city-states and kingdoms. The Pagan Kingdom was established in the 1050s, and this was when the Burmese language, culture, and Theravada Buddhism began to become prominent.
Mongol invasions caused the Pagan Kingdom to fall, giving way to several warring states. They were reunified by the Taungoo dynasty in the 16th century. This briefly made the country the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia.
During the 19th century, the British East India Company took control of the country and turned it into a British colony. Myanmar became independent in 1948.
Myanmar is rich in natural resources such as jade, gems, oil, natural gas, teak, and other minerals, and has high solar power potential. However, since independence, the country has suffered from instability and various conflicts, including one of the world’s longest-running civil wars. Most of the time, the government has been under the control of the military. Myanmar is the least developed country in Southeast Asia and the income gap is one of the widest in the world.
What Do People Eat in Myanmar?
Burmese cuisine is largely based on traditional ingredients such as rice (including rice noodles), tea, and fish. Fresh aromatics such as lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and onion make up the base of many meals, and chili is also popular. There are Chinese influences evident in some dishes, and there are also curries that share some similarities to Thai cuisine. The main difference is that Burmese curries use dried spices as well as fresh herbs and aromatics.
Seafood is common, particularly in areas alongside rivers and along the coast. Fish is often used to produce fish sauce and ngapi, a type of fermented paste made from salted fish or shrimp and used to season meals.
When it comes to meat, chicken is fairly popular but beef is not, especially in certain regions and in the Buddhist community. There was even a period during the last dynasty in which you could be flogged for consuming beef. Instead, cows are generally raised as beasts of burden and only killed once they are sick or too old to work.
There is also a range of salads, which typically contain both cooked and raw ingredients with varying flavors and textures. Common ingredients include noodles, peanuts, raw shredded vegetables such as carrot and cabbage, and fresh herbs.
What I Made
- Shan Noodles (Rice Noodles with Chicken and Pickled Vegetables)
- Nan Gyi Thoke (Rice Noodle Salad with Chicken)
- Mohinga (Fish Soup with Rice Noodles)
- Ohn No Khao Swè (Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup)
- Lahpet Thoke (Tea Leaf Salad)
Scroll down to read about other popular Burmese dishes I didn’t make!
Shan Noodles (Rice Noodles with Chicken and Pickled Vegetables)
This dish can be served with broth, either as a soup or with the broth on the side, but I went with the broth-less version since it’s been hot here and I already had a few other soups to make this week. Usually, shan noodles include rice noodles, a simple chicken and tomato curry, pickled vegetables, and a drizzle of chili and garlic oil.
First, I cut a carrot into matchsticks and combined it with sliced jalapeño, salt, sugar, vinegar, and water. I set this aside to pickle on the counter while I worked on the other components of the dish.
The recipe I was following called for separate chili and garlic oils but I combined them, since I knew I would also need this for a dish I was making later in the week. I cooked chopped garlic in peanut oil over low heat, and once it was just turning golden I added some chili flakes and took the oil off the heat.
Next, I started on the curry. I sautéed some shallots for a few minutes, then added garlic. A minute later, I added diced chicken thighs, paprika, and a little cayenne pepper. Once the chicken had cooked for a few minutes, I added tomato, followed by salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and Chinese five spice. I poured in some water, then let the curry simmer with the lid on for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, I boiled my rice noodles and got my other toppings ready.
To serve, I put the rice noodles in bowls, topped with the curry, pickled vegetables, garlic and chili oil, chopped peanuts, green onions, and a drizzle of sweet soy sauce.
I really enjoyed this meal; it was a hot day and I found this to be really fresh and light, even with the curry.
The recipe I used is from Khin’s Kitchen.
Nan Gyi Thoke (Rice Noodle Salad with Chicken)
This rice noodle salad usually includes chicken, toasted chickpea flour, cilantro, and garlic-chili oil. Common garnishes include a boiled egg, fried rice noodles, lime wedges, and fish cakes. I didn’t want to buy fine rice noodles just to fry a few for this recipe, especially since I was already buying so many other types of noodles this week. Instead, I found this crispy ramen noodle snack and decided to use that as my crispy noodles, since I think the crispy element is important, I am sorry to any Burmese people who may be offended by this!
I started by cooking bone-in chicken thighs in water seasoned with garlic, ginger, and fish sauce. I let the cooked chicken cool a bit, then shredded it.
I sautéed some onion in oil, then added garlic, ground turmeric, and paprika. I stirred in the shredded chicken and added a little fish sauce and some of the stock produced from cooking the chicken. I cooked until the liquids had evaporated, then poured the oil off into a bowl.
I tossed cooked rice noodles with the chicken oil, toasted chickpea flour (I toasted it gently on the stove for a few minutes), shredded chicken, and cilantro. I added a little fish sauce and lime juice, then drizzled over some of the garlic and chili oil I made for the shan noodles. I added a sliced boiled egg, a lime wedge, and the aforementioned crispy ramen noodles.
I really liked the flavor of the chicken in this dish, and I liked how the noodles soaked it up from the addition of the cooking oil. This was delicious and I’d make it again!
You can also serve this with the broth the chicken cooked in; fish balls and green onions may be added. I used my broth to cook the rice noodles.
This recipe is from The Burmalicious.
Mohinga (Fish Soup with Rice Noodles)
This fish soup, usually made with catfish, is considered Myanmar’s national dish. I’m pretty sure this was the first time I’d had catfish and I was overall a little unsure about this dish, but I had heard many foreigners love it so I hoped for the best.
Usually, the broth would be made by cooking a whole catfish with lemongrass, ginger, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, but I used catfish fillets instead.
First, I toasted some jasmine rice in the oven. Once it was golden, I let it cool and ground it up in my spice grinder.
For my broth, I added lemongrass, ginger, bay leaves, salt, and pepper to a pot of water and brought it to a boil. Then I let it simmer for a few minutes before adding my catfish fillets. Once the fish was cooked through, I removed it from the broth and set it aside for the moment.
I strained the broth and returned it to the pot, then whisked in the toasted rice powder I’d made earlier. I kept the broth at a low simmer while I prepared the next ingredients.
I sautéed lemongrass, garlic, and ginger in oil for a minute, then added paprika, turmeric, and the cooked fish. I mashed the fish to make a coarse paste, then added the contents of the pan to the broth.
I added red onion and fish sauce, and simmered for a few more minutes before the soup was ready.
To serve, I added cooked rice noodles to bowls and poured over the soup. Then I added a hard-boiled egg, a lime wedge, cilantro, and more red onion. Mohinga is usually served with yellow split pea crackers; instead I went with a crispy noodle snack I found at the supermarket as my crunchy element.
I was surprised at how much I loved this. Presumably, my broth would have had more flavor had I used a whole fish, but I thought it was excellent the way it was. This is something I would definitely make again.
The recipe I used is from Burma Superstar.
Ohn No Khao Swè (Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup)
This is another noodle soup, but this one is made with egg noodles, chicken, and coconut milk. Eggs and fried noodles are once again common garnishes—I get the feeling that having contrasting textures is especially important in Burmese cuisine.
I cheated a bit here and used store-bought chicken stock, enhanced with some Better Than Bouillon, to save time instead of making stock from scratch as in the recipe. I cooked bone-in chicken thighs in the stock along with some ginger and shallots to try and add more of the flavor the stock was meant to have. Once the chicken was cooked through, I let it cool a bit and shredded it.
While I was waiting for the chicken to cool, I toasted some chickpea flour and whisked it with some of the warm stock, then stirred the mixture into the stock.
Next, I combined oil and ground turmeric in my wok. I added some shallots and sautéed for a few minutes, then added garlic, followed quickly by the shredded chicken.
After another minute or so, I added the chicken stock and some coconut milk, and I let it simmer for a few minutes. I added fish sauce to taste and that was the soup done.
To serve, I put cooked egg noodles in bowls and ladled over the soup. I garnished with boiled egg, fried noodles, cilantro, shallots, a lime wedge, and some of the garlic-chili oil I had made earlier in the week.
I really enjoyed this soup; I think the broth had good flavor even though it wasn’t homemade and I really liked the combination of the soup and the fresh garnishes.
To make this, I used the recipe from Grantourismo.
Lahpet Thoke (Tea Leaf Salad)
Out of all the dishes I was making this week, I was most apprehensive about this one. This popular salad is made with a dressing based on fermented tea leaves.
Since I do not have easy access to fresh tea leaves, I used a recipe that used dry green tea leaves instead. I cut open some green tea bags and steeped the leaves in hot water for a few minutes. Then I drained off the liquid and reserved the tea leaves.
I added the tea leaves to my food processor along with garlic, cilantro, chili flakes, lime juice, ginger, oil, and salt, and blitzed until I had a paste. Then, I put that in a clean jar and let it sit on the counter, covered with a paper towel (to try and let it breathe a little), for a few days. The recipe called for seven days but I didn’t prepare well enough for that and I was a little worried about giving myself food poisoning anyway.
I made some garlic chips by finely slicing garlic and cooking it in oil briefly just until golden. Then I added soaked yellow split peas to the same oil to make fried split peas. The other ingredient that would have required some preparation was shrimp floss, but I used some readymade pork floss that I already had instead.
Usually, this salad is presented with all the ingredients in separate sections so you can use as much or as little of them as you want. I just put everything together. I tossed shredded cabbage and diced tomatoes with the green tea dressing, then I put that on a plate and topped it with the garlic chips, fried split peas, pork floss, and roasted peanuts. Other toppings suggested in the recipe included sesame seeds and finely chopped Thai chilies.
I’m surprised to say that I really enjoyed this. This wasn’t a combination of ingredients I would have thought to put together but it worked well and I liked the crunch from the fried split peas.
This recipe is from What To Cook Today; this is also where I got the recipe for the green tea dressing.
Other Popular Burmese Dishes
- Burmese tofu – this is nothing like the tofu you’re probably thinking of. It is made from water, split pea flour, and chickpea flour, similar to the way polenta is made.
- Sanwin making – a traditional dessert made from semolina, condensed milk, butter, coconut milk, and poppy seeds to form a cake.
- Htamin jin – a salad made from rice, tomato, and potato or fish, formed into balls and topped with a long list of possible toppings including fried onion, tamarind sauce, cilantro, and green onions.
Final Thoughts
This was a great week, but it always is when I get to eat a lot of noodles! I’d have to go with the mohinga as my favorite but I liked everything a lot.
Next week, I will be cooking food from Namibia.