Myanmar Traditional Food That You Shouldn't Miss - Savour the mouth-watering tastes of the Burmese

Crowned the unofficial national dish of Myanmar, mohinga has come to be an essential part of local Burmese cuisine. The delectable rice noodle and fish soup was traditionally served for breakfast only, but thanks to its tantalising taste that is craved by people throughout the country, it has evolved into an all-day dish over the years. The dish is, without a doubt, a local favourite, so much so that a number of different regional variations to the dish have emerged, where new ingredients outside the general recipe are added directly to the soup or used as a dressing or garnish.

Inspired by the famous Indian biriyani, dan bauk is a scrumptious Burmese rice dish. Yellow-hued, long-grain rice, flavoured with a host of Indian spices, including saffron, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and cumin — it is safe to describe dan bauk as Myanmar's biriyani. What sets Dan Bauk apart from Indian Biriyani is the addition of vegetables such as peas, beans, and carrots. Sliced or diced pieces of curried chicken, mutton, or lamb are also mixed into the shiny yellow rice. And to top it all off, the rice is sprinkled with a few raisins and nuts.

Similar to the aforementioned dan bauk, samusa is also another Burmese traditional dish inspired by a delicacy of Indian cuisine, the crunchy and savoury samosa. It is a fried or baked pastry (mostly fried), filled with a savoury filling including a variety of ingredients such as lentils, onions, peas, spiced potatoes, or ground meat. Samosas could also be found in a variety of different shapes, including triangular, cone, or half-moon shapes, but triangular ones are the most common.

A traditional noodle dish relished throughout Myanmar, meeshay has its roots deeply embedded in the Chinese Mixian, but over time has come to be a well-favoured delicacy of the Shan people living in Eastern Myanmar. In its basic form, meeshay is a rice noodle dish with a chicken or pork-based meat sauce, sprinkled with a host of toppings. Tourists vacationing in Myanmar would be able to see two main versions of the dish — shan/mogok meeshay and mandalay meeshay — both of which have their own style of cooking the same dish.

Enjoyed both as a snack and a dessert, htamane is a traditional Burmese delicacy made with coconut shavings, glutinous rice, ginger, peanuts, sesame seeds, groundnut oil, and water. Those craving a bite of mouth-watering htamane could find the dish being served at many Yangon restaurants, including the likes offered by Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon, and eateries in other parts of the country as well.