Joanna James
Food in Myanmar is a great way to get to know the country. But be warned that once you begin you can't stop for Burmese food is like an aphrodisiac and you just want to keep tasting the flavours over and over again. If you are planning to eat your way through Myanmar here's a list.
In Myanmar when they say, "Breakfast of the Champions," this is what they mean. Mohinga can be called one of Myanmar's national dishes and is found all over the place from basic street food stall to the restaurant menus of many Nay Pyi Taw hotels. It is at its very core, a rice noodle bowl topped with deep-fried fritters and a transparent fish base for soup. While people mostly consume it as a breakfast item thanks to its hearty and filling nature you can eat it at any time of the day.
The main difference between Burmese biryani and the biryani you are probably used to eating at Indian takeout isn't that apparent as the dish originates from Persians. The name given in Burmese to biryani in Myanmar is "danbauk" which is an almost direct translation from the Persian word for "slow cooking." Biryani in Myanmar is a famous wedding dish. Ingredients are usually yoghurt, cashews, chicken, cloves, cinnamon, raisins, peas, bay leaf and saffron which as added to long grain rice. There's also a version called "ambrosia" which features dried fruit or buttered rice.
You can find Naan with Pe Byouk in any local street food stand across Myanmar. The naan is similar to Indian naan and is made in a clay pot. Be Byouk is a type of boiled peas that are bagged with torn up pieces of naan added to the top that you can takeaway. But if you want to you can ask the vendor to put the pea curry in the middle of your naan and eat it like a wrap.
A predominant dish across Asia, if you went around eating only rice and curry in every country you will experience a cultural awakening unlike any other. Burmese rice and curry are easy to find. You can eat it at street food stands or made up fancily in restaurants at hotels the likes of PARKROYAL Nay Pyi Taw. Burmese curries tend to be less flavourful in comparison to other kinds of rice and curry dishes and feature white rice with various side dishes including several vegetable curries and one or two main curries that are either fish or chicken. You can eat it all throughout the day and different places will have different curries. Nothing is consistent about rice and curry in Asia and that is the beauty of this versatile dish.
Hand-mixed noodles are often served with Burmese spring rolls and garnished with chilli sauce, garlic and fresh chillies. Be a little aware if you can't handle spice. But it is a very flavourful dish you should definitely check out.
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