Gastronomy in Myanmar (Burma)

The Burmese cuisine and way of cooking has evolved and produced its distinctiveness over the years despite influences from neighboring countries such as India, China, and Thailand. The following are the most common and popular dishes in the country:

• Mohinga – off the record national dish made of rice vermicelli, boiled eggs, fritters, fried fish cake, fish broth, onions, ginger, lemon grass, banana-stem, and garlic.
• Hkauk swè thouk – wheat noodle salad mix with dried shrimps, sliced cabbage and carrots, garnished with fish sauce, lime, and fried peanut oil.
• Htamin thouk – rice salad on tomato puree, potato, toasted chickpea flour, dried fermented beancake, dried shrimp, chili, garlic, then dressed with coriander, tamarind or lime, peanut oil, and fish sauce.
• Kat kyi hnyat – a favorite dish in the southern coastal made of rice noodles and a selection of seafood, meat, bean sprouts, fried eggs, and beans.
• Ngapi gyet – soured and spicy fish plate with tomatoes, onion, chili with fresh vegetables and to za ya as side dishes.
• Kya zan hinga – glass noodle soup mixed with dried shrimp, egg, wood-ear mushrooms, onions, and dried flowers.

Some of the popular Chinese-inspired Burmese dish are si gyet hkauk swè (wheat noodles mix with duck or pork, garlic oil, spring onions, and soy sauce), meeshay (rice noodles with pork or chicken, rice flour gel, bean sprouts, fritters, soybean, peanut oil, chili oil, dresses with onions, coriander, garlic, and mustard greens), and pao-see (steamed buns filled with pork and egg or sweetened bean paste).

Some of the favorite Indian-inspired Burmese food are fried chappati (Burmese style is served with stewed peas and is normally eaten at breakfast with nan bya), samosa (local version is prepared with mutton, onions, lime, fresh mint, and green chili), dan bauk (Burmese version of biryani and served with mutton or chicken, mango pickle, chili, and fresh mint), and hpaluda (comparable to Indian dessert falooda but made of milk, jello, rose water, coconut jelly, custard, and ice cream).