The streets were brimming with locals and food stalls spilled onto the roads with occasional cars brushing past red, blue and green portable stools. The Chinese, Indian, and even Thai influences are evident in the Burmese cuisine with vendors scooping up curries, dishing out rice cakes and icy sweet drinks.
Mohinga – The unofficial national dish of Myanmar, rice noodles swimming in a hearty broth of fish, turmeric and shallot, often serve with coriander and crispy fried fritters as toppings. If you are like me, wondering where the fish was; it is grounded with chickpea flour to form the thick stew. A filling bowl for 50 cents to a dollar? Why not!
Fried Split Chickpea (Pay Kyaw) – A snack eaten on its own or can be crumbled over salads or soups. Personally, I felt that this golden disc of pea crackers make an amazing bar snack. I couldn’t find a lot of information when researching but certain websites state it is made with rice flour, yellow pea crackers and chana dal!
Burmese Rice – Just like economical Cai Fan, stewed meats, curries and vegetables are piled on metal trays to be paired with rice. To be honest, I was a little scared to try the rice because it was placed out in the open. Perhaps you would want to try it in a restaurant instead from street stalls if your stomach is not strong.
Shan Style Noodles (Khaut Sew) – Another noodle dish (can you see a theme?). There are dozens of variations of the noodle dish - thin rice noodles served a peppery soup topped with chicken, pork or vegetable. I had mine served with crunchy toppings and in soup. Seemingly bland, the peppery soup packs a punch and your body will soon be warmed up. I also enjoyed a dry version of the Shan Noodles, with chicken, a mix of herbs, nuts and sesame seeds.
Shan Noodles in Tofu Paste (Tohu Nway) – I actually thought it was tofu but found that it is misnomer; creamy chickpea puree is used to cover thick, yellow noodles and served with peanuts. I was throwing heaps of homemade chili flakes and garlic paste into the noodles to give it a little more flavour and it got a litter surfeit halfway.
Tea Leaf Salad (Laphet Thonk) – For those who love a kick of spice and sourness, this is a great dish to try. I had it more often than not as an appetiser and the fermented tartness cut through the richness of my food. A great palate cleanser consisting of bitter tea leaves, some vegetables depending on the place, fried beans, nuts and with chilli, oil and garlic.
Burmese Naan & Steamed Beans (Nan Bya & Pe Byouk) – Cut-up naan slices and savoury steamed beans were bagged up for my breakfast. It was my first taste of Yangon and I couldn’t believe having a filling, protein packed meal for only 30 cents!
Dosa Sandwich (Khor Poat) – Poked around the internet to try to figure out what I ate that was simply delightful. Beans, coconut shreds and savoury-sweet sauce wrapped in the thin, crispy lentil dosa. It was one of those taste-better-than-it-looks dishes and definitely in my favourites list (plus it was 20 cents!).
Burmese Pancakes (Bein Mont) – I think what I had was a Bein Mont or similar. A pancake deep fried with various toppings ranging from sliced coconuts, almonds, chickpeas (yes again) to sugar. Thankfully, it is not as sweet as it looks.
Glutinous Rice Cake (Koh Pieh) – Realllllly similar to the kuehs we have in Singapore. Rice cake that comes plain or served with grated coconuts and peanut powder. Nothing really special to me because it tastes exactly like the kueh that I can’t seem to remember the name. The lovely lady was nice enough to cut a piece each from the other cakes for me to try!
Black Rice Cake (Koh Puo) – Another rice cake snack made with black sticky rice and pounded with sugar. It was either fried or roasted over charcoal because the exterior crust was hard yet the middle was a nice mochi texture. I preferred this smoky version, especially when it was served with peanut powder and sugar at 999 Shan Noodle House.
Milk Sweet (Burfi) – With my hostel located near Chinatown and Little India, my curiosity with Indian sweets intensified during my stay after passing by the tiny stalls. Bought a cube of Milk Burfi at Mogok Butter House which melted in my mouth. Not overly sweet but my sugar quota was maxed out for the day. Wanted to visit the well-known sweet shop, Liberty Indian Sweets & Snacks, but they were close every time I tried to visit. The opening hours were a lie.
Burmese Milk Tea (Lah Phet Yay) – Similar to Teh Ping, the milky black tea is mixed with evaporated and condensed milk. There are certain tea houses that provides a chart of bitterness and sweetness of tea you can order like Rangoon Tea house. The Pawt Ker version was still too sweet for me.
Of course, this list is only a small portion of the plethora that Yangon, Myanmar has to offer. There were so much more that I wanted to try; Rice Balls with Grated Coconut (Mont Lone Yay Paw), Shan Rice, Salad Noodles (Khao Sueh Thoke), Burmese Samosas, Banana in Glutinous Rice (Kauknyintok), Falooda (Yogurt Drink) and so many more. I didn’t have the chance to soak up the ambiance of a tea house either, so that’s in my bucket list still. Will definitely be heading back to Myanmar in the near future to fill my belly up and visit other cities.
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