Buzz
Myanmar tourism is not only renowned for its stunning natural landscapes and famous architectural wonders but also captivates travelers with its incredibly diverse and enticing cuisine. Myanmar's dishes are known for their rich flavors, a perfect blend of fresh local ingredients, and most importantly, influenced by various cultures across Southeast Asia.
Unmissable Dishes in Myanmar
Tea Leaf Salad
When you embark on Myanmar tourism, you must try one of Myanmar's famous delicacies, lephet or fermented tea leaves. They can be eaten on their own or used as ingredients for lephet thoke - tea leaf salad.
Tea leaf salad, a unique dish exclusive to Myanmar - Illustration
The tea leaves are pickled until they acquire a tangy, slightly bitter taste, then mixed with shredded cabbage, tomatoes, crispy fried beans, various nuts, a splash of garlic oil, chili, and thinly sliced garlic. This dish can be enjoyed as a snack, appetizer, or served with rice.
Myanmar Curry Noodles
The alluring flavor of Burmese Curry Miến Điện is created from curry and various ingredients, offering travelers a wide selection including pork, fish, shrimp, beef, or lamb. Curry is typically served with rice, salad, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, a small bowl of soup, and a large plate of fresh (raw or boiled) vegetables, herbs, along with various dipping sauces.
Accompanying dipping sauces also come in various types for travelers to choose from, ranging from ngapi ye - a light fish sauce, to balachaung - a crispy blend of garlic, chili, and dried shrimp.
Shan People's Rice
Shan Fish Rice - Illustration
Shan People's Rice is fish rice; however, it also boasts a golden hue like chicken rice in China or Singapore. To achieve this distinctive yellow color, Shan nga htamin (fish rice) is cooked with turmeric, then shaped into round (or flat) patties, topped with fish meat and garlic oil. The rice is usually served with garlic roots, fresh garlic, and pork cracklings.
Traditional Rice
Teahouse rice of the Myanmar people is the traditional rice that every traveler must taste when visiting Myanmar tourism. In the teahouses of the land of Buddha, you can quench your thirst with sweet milk tea and enjoy many delicious dishes rich in traditional cultural beauty of the Myanmar people.
Teahouse rice is considered the traditional rice of Myanmar people - Illustration
You can indulge in traditional dishes like traditional noodles or htamin thoke - a rice salad. Moreover, if you visit Indian or Muslim teahouses in Myanmar, you'll be served many dishes influenced by Southeast Asian cuisine, such as samosas or poori (crispy fried bread with potato curry) or grilled bread like nanbya.
Nangyi thoke
Nangyi thoke special noodles of Myanmar people - Illustration
As a special salad mixed noodles loved by Myanmar locals and foreign tourists, Nangyi thoke noodles have a unique flavor with thick and wide noodles marinated with chicken, fish cakes, bean sprouts, boiled eggs, and various other famous ingredients. Ingredients are added with roasted chickpea flour, turmeric, and chili paste, then mixed by hand and served with pickled vegetables and a bowl of broth.
Shan Tofu Noodles
Although named Shan tofu noodles, the Shan tofu noodles dish has no tofu at all; instead, it's a thick porridge made from soybean flour, which often leaves independent travelers questioning the dish's name when asking the restaurant owner.
And in the Myanmar language, hto-hpu nwe means “hot tofu,” and this dish is particularly known for its thick yellow or black sticky sauce poured over small noodles. The dish is served with well-seasoned chicken or pork, a touch of chili paste, or accompanied by pickled vegetables and broth.
Mohinga
Mohinga, often regarded as Myanmar's 'unofficial national dish' - Illustration
Mohinga is considered the 'unofficial national dish' of Myanmar. Mohinga is prepared with round noodles immersed in a broth made from fish and lemongrass. This dish is sold on the streets and is often eaten for breakfast or late-night snacks. You can add boiled eggs, akyaw, lentils, a squeeze of lime, and chili powder.
