The food of Myanmar has, perhaps, more in common with its Southeast Asian neighbors, Laos and Thailand, than with India. The use of fermented shrimp and fish products such as dried paste, fermented fish in liquid, and clear fish sauce has parallels in both Laos and Thailand, where these ingredients largely replace salt and give a characteristic flavor to many dishes. The sour fruit of the tamarind tree, most commonly used in the form of a dried pulp, is often preferred to vinegar or lime juice in many Burmese dishes.
Coconut milk, so prevalent in the cuisine of Southeast Asia, is also used in many Burmese dishes and for sweetmeats, while agar agar-a setting agent from seaweed-is also popular in Burmese desserts and drinks.
At the Burmese Table
Breakfast in Myanmar is traditionally a light repast of fried rice, or yesterday's rice warmed up, served with boiled garden peas and green tea. Many delicious alternatives are now becoming popular though. Breakfast today could take the form of steamed glutinous rice topped with roasted sesame seeds and fish or vegetable fritters; smoked dried fish; mohinga, thin rice noodles in fish soup; or ohn-no kyaukswe, wheat flour noodles in chicken and coconut gravy. Rice gruel garnished with chunks of fried Chinese dough sticks might be gulped down, as might naan, flat bread fresh from the tandoor oven, with either boiled garden pea salad or lamb bone soup. Alternatively, a steaming chickpea broth or a chicken curry might provide the morning's sustenance.
The main meal is not served in courses as in the West. All the dishes, soups, condiments and vegetable dips are arranged in the middle, with a large bowl of rice for second helpings placed on the side. Meat and fish dishes are usually prepared in the form of curries, with fish dishes being much more popular in the lands bordering the lower reaches of the Ayeyarwady River and the delta region, while up country palates are partial to beans and pulses and their various by-products. Most curries are prepared with a thin gravy, which is then drizzled over the rice, mixed in and eaten with the fish or vegetables and fish preserve.
Soup is almost always served during the course of a meal and helps wash down the rice. It may be a hingga, meaning hot peppery soup, or a hincho, a slightly milder concoction. The soup is usually a clear broth with leaves, buds or slices of fruit. On more formal occasions, a thicker broth of fish and vegetables is served with rice noodles. Vegetable and fruit salads are very popular. Some of the heavier salads, such as a rice-based "salad," can be eaten either as snacks between meals or as meals in themselves.
No meal would be considered complete without the condiment ngapi, or to use its full name, ngapi-seinsa: fish, or sometimes shrimp, boiled and garnished with crushed garlic, toasted dried chilies and chili powder.
After a meal, fruits such as banana, mango, pomelo, and durian are usually eaten in lieu of cooked desserts, which tend to be eaten as snacks throughout the day. As a special treat, lephet, or fermented tea leaf salad, might be served. The main ingredient of this unusual salad is fermented tea leaves; these are then mixed with, or accompanied by, peanuts, roasted sesame seeds, fried garlic, coconut, and ginger slices, and so on. Though it may seem unusual to serve a savory dish after the main meal, this is when lephet is often eaten; though you may find it served as a first course in Burmese restaurants in the West.
SUGGESTED MENUS
Family meals
For a simple yet satisfying family meal, try serving with steamed white rice and a Fish Sauce Dip (page 29):
• Rice Noodles in Fish Soup (page 27);
• Hand-tossed Salad (page 26);
• Catfish in Tamarind Sauce (page 28);
• Fresh fruits such as mango or papaya,
Dinner parties
For a fun Burmese-style dinner party, serve:
• Pumpkin Soup with Basil (page 26),
• Grilled Eggplant Salad (page 26);
• Burmese Crab Curry (page 28);
• Pork and Mango Curry (page 28).
• Sesame-topped Semolina Cake with Coconut (page 29).
Finger food
The following snacks and appetizers may be eaten throughout the day, even as desserts:
• Fermented Tea Leaf Salad (page 26), which is also served after a meal in Burma;
• Transparent Savory Rice Pancakes (page 29).
A melting pot menu
Enjoy a culinary tour of Asia at your dining table with:
• Shrimp Mousse on Sugar Cane (page 177) from Vietnam as an appetizer;
• Pork and Mango Curry (page 28) from Burma and Shrimps with Sweet and Sour Sauce (page 159) from Thailand with plain rice;
• Mango Jellies (page 134) from Malaysia for dessert.
THE ESSENTIAL FLAVORS OF BURMESE COOKING
Indispensable to the Myanmar pantry are garlic, ginger, and cilantro (coriander) leaves. A good supply of fresh jasmine rice is a must and glutinous rice would be useful for some dishes. Flavorings you'll need include fish sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Fresh chilies and dried chili flakes are a common addition to dishes as are dried shrimps and shrimp paste. Fermented tea leaves are easily found at all Burmese foodstores and come ready packed with all the extras making for a great, instant Burmese snack.
While Burma has long been renowned for its natural beauty, its culinary treasures have remained a well-kept secret until recently. The country has absorbed the culinary influences of its neighbors to make its food even more unique.
Lephet Thoke
Fermented Tea Leaf Salad
Lephet is an everyday part of Burmese social culture. Lephet is served to welcome guests to a house, as a peace offering after an argument, as a snack in front of the television, as a palate cleanser after a meal, and even as a stimulant to ward off sleep during all-night Burmese opera. Instant, packaged Lephet Thoke is now readily available from Burmese shops.
4 tablespoons lephet (fermented tea leaves)
3 cloves garlic, sliced and deep-fried till crisp
1 bird's-eye chili, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dried shrimps, soaked and blended to powdery fluff
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon peanut oil
Traditionally, lephet is served in a lacquer container with different compartments for each ingredient. Diners then choose their ingredients and, using only the thumb