6 best Burmese foods to try in Myanmar

Influenced by the overlapping tastes of the 100 ethnic groups that call the country home and the five countries that share its borders, Myanmar’s cuisine is simple but superbly diverse. You don't know what you're missing out in Myanmar until you try these delicious foods, drinks and desserts.

Ngar Hta Min

A brilliant dish from the Shan region, Ngar Hta Min is a delicious fish-tomato rice or fish-rice cake – a comfort food best suited for rainy evenings or cold nights in the hills. It’s a simple dish prepared by making small round balls from a mixture of pre-cooked tomato, fish, rice and potatoes together, and garlic, chilli and fish oil for flavour.

Mont Lin Ma Yar

Within the same category as above but sold independently is a gorgeous looking snack Mont Lin Ma Yar – informally called the ‘husband and wife snack’. While walking in downtown Yangon, you’ll come across many hawkers selling these golden muffins. They are made with rice flour batter in a special iron mould. The batter is divided into two sections – the first half contains only batter and the second half is topped with quail egg and roasted chickpeas. Both the halves, the “Yin and the Yang”, are then joined together to create the Mont Lin Ma Yar.

Shwe Yin Aye

On a hot day in Myanmar, an iced dessert cannot be too far from your thoughts. Shwe Yin Aye is similar to Chendol from Indonesia and is prepared with steamed sticky rice, coconut milk jelly, tapioca seeds, coconut milk, sugar, bread and ice. You can eat this dessert with different combinations of seaweed, agar-agar, palm sugar, etc.

Mohinga

A savoury fish noodle soup which is indisputably the ultimate breakfast dish of the country. A fish flavoured rice noodle soup, it is delicious and available almost everywhere in Myanmar.

A word of caution here, though, it is a fish soup in its true sense – cooked with fish, fish paste and fish sauce. If the smell of fish bothers you, clip your nose and but do have it.

Sanwin Makin

A traditional Burmese sweet which draws its inspiration from Indian semolina desserts, these cakes are common treats available on the street. In addition to semolina, coconut milk/cream, egg, cardamom and sugar also go into preparing these cakes which are then topped off with a sprinkling of poppy seeds.

Shan Noodle Soup/Salad

More popular in the Shan region, it consists of flat rice noodles in a flavoursome broth with shredded chicken or pork, a sprinkling of toasted sesame with garlic oil and pickled vegetables on the side. It is served more in the boat noodles (a popular Thai dish) tradition – serving size is small and probably good for a snack. But it is a snack that is deliciously addictive, so don’t be alarmed if you end up having 3-4 bowls or more. It is also served without soup like a salad.

See more: 7 reasons why you should visit Myanmar

Source: tripzilla