The Most Popular Dishes in Myanmar

Prepare your stomach as you are about to discover an exciting range of Myanmar dish that fresh in ingredients and tasty in flavors. Your appetite will be well satisfied.

Mohinga

Mohinga is the unofficial national dish of rice vermicelli in a fish-based broth of onions, garlic, ginger, and lemon grass – all topped with sliced banana blossom, boiled eggs and fritters. This dish is readily available in most parts of the country. In major cities, street hawkers and roadside stalls sell dozens of dishes of mohinga to the locals and passers-by. In spite of the national dish, Mohinga is different among various religion of Burma such as Rakhinemohinga with more fish paste and less soup. It ingredients depend on their availability. Although Mohinga is available through a day, it is usually eaten in the morning, now available as an “all- day breakfast” in many town and cities.

Samosa

You can enjoy all samosas, all the time, anywhere on the street, particularly in Rangoon. A samosa is a fried or baked pastry with a savory filling, such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils, ground lamb, ground beer or ground chicken. The size, shape and consistency may vary, but typically, they are distinctly triangular. Try also the samosas soups, where samosas are scissored into a light broth and topped with fresh herbs, onions and greens.

Chapati and Curry

Chapati is an unleavened flatbread (also known as roti) from the Indian subcontinent. It is a common staple of cuisine in South Asia as well as among South Asian expatriates throughout the world. Chapatis are made from a firm dough and water. Some people also add salt and oil to the dough. Small portions of the dough are rolled out into discs much like a tortilla, using a rolling pin. The rolled- out dough is thrown on the preheated dry skillet and cooked on both sides. In some regions it is only partly cooked on the skillet, and then put directly on a high flame, which makes it blow up like a balloon. The hot air cooks the chapatti rapidly from the inside.

Usually, the top of a chapati is slathered with butter or ghee. A piece of chapatti is torn off and used to pick the meat or vegetable dishes that make the meal.

Chapati sizes vary from region to region and kitchen to kitchen. In Gujarat, for example, the chapatti is called a “rotli” and can be as thin as tissue paper. Chapatis made in domestic kitchens are usually not larger than 6-7 inches in diameter since the ‘tava’ on which they are made comes in sizes that fit comfortably on a domestic stove top.

Salad dishes

Burmese cuisine includes a rich diversity of salads (known as thoke or thohk) featuring starches like chickpea floor and vermicelli along with fresh seasonal products of papaya, potato, scallion, and so on. To make salad dishes tastier and richer, fish paste, nuts, eggs and herbs are added on top.

In addition to the tea-drinking culture that is a delight for many visitors to discover on their holidays in Burma, local cuisine has several dishes featuring tea leaves. The most famous of these would be Laphet Thoke, pickled tea-leaf salad, which offers a perfect balance of soft and crunchy.

Another famous salad dish is Ngabaungthohk, a leaf wrapped in a double layer of banana and morinda leaves and filled with a mixture of vegetables and prawns. This is another delicious ethnic specialty from the Mon that will make a great addition to the culinary discoveries of your holidays in Burma.

Soups

Soups, a dispensable part of any Burmese meals, are presented in different styles with different flavors – sweet broths of meat or fish with additional vegetables, bitter soups usually going with salads, and sour soup made with the aid of tomatoes or tamarinds.   The most prominent of those are bean soups that come in various kinds, thick and tasty.

Snacks

There is a deep culture of snacking in the country, which is quite understandable with Burma’s habit of using rather excessive oil. A typical example is deep-fried stuffed tofu, a dish stuffed with cabbage and chili and then deep-fried. These tofu rolls are a popular street snack with locals and visitors alike, being easy to identify and eat. Plus, hinto, a favorite in Shan State, is steamed banana-leaf parcels of rice, onion, leek and cabbage, making a very welcome and nourishing snack after a trek.

Yangon’s barbeque

When mentioning barbecue, many people immediately think of meat. But barbecue in Yangon at the Chinatown (between Mahabandoola and Anawrahta Street) is also suitable for vegetarian. Herbivores and carnivores alike will find an endless choice. Opt for food that looks fresh and select your desired atmosphere. The grilled okra, broccoli, mushrooms, and tofu all rocked, particularly when washed down with a clod draft beer. The price is less than $3 for two people.