Street Food in Burma
For additional Burma posts click here.
Despite dire warnings about cleanliness we ate everything that was put in front of us in Burma. We ate everywhere and without incident, in villages, on the street, in small cafes, on the beach and at the hotels. On arrival, our first meal was at a student cafe at the foreign language university outside Mandalay. A tea leave salad (above) was our introduction and we enjoyed this quintessentially Burmese dish, salty, fishy and a little spicy.
In Mandalay we ate thin pancakes cooked on a street stall outside the covered market (above) and samosa (below).
We ate lunch at a tiny cafe with communal tables and two pots of curry. I chose the fish curry and they brought multiple side dishes which we shared with our neighbors. The bill was $1:20 for two for the feast below.
In Yangon, sitting on small plastic stools on the side of the road, we finally tried Mohinga, the traditional rice noodle soup found throughout Burma and often served with a egg (below). It was delicious, thick, rich and filling. We thought one bowl was plenty for two, but its so delicious you'll want your own.
Burma is at the intersection between India, China and Southeast Asia and the cuisine reflects these geographic influences combined with multiple ethnic cuisines from various groups such as the Shan or Mon. Most of the food is relatively mild with plenty of dried fish and pork.
Much of the street food was fried, including the crab which we admired (above) but didn't eat.I loved these puffy, fried, rice flour balls flavored with green onions or chives which we ate hot from the pan in Yangon.
We seemed to be following the fried snacks all-round Burma, we had these vegetable fritters (cooked over a wood fire) at a market on the shores of Inle Lake.
Burma isn't a street food destination like Bangkok or Penang, but it's fun to eat with the locals and to try whatever's on offer. While we eat almost everything, including a red ant paste in Inle Lake, we are careful to eat at busy places with a high turnover. Ideally I want to see the food cooked in front of me, or to see that it's kept very hot.
Tip: A busy place generally serves fresh food to keep up with demand and lunchtime may be a better time to eat out as they may be serving what's left for the day by dinner. Remember the golden rule is to wash your hands and always drink bottled water.
Comments