Burmese

What it is

Burmese cuisine sits at the crossroads of South and Southeast Asia. Indian-style curries meet Chinese noodles and Thai-Lao herb culture, with a national fondness for ngapi — fermented fish or shrimp paste — and for laphet, pickled tea leaves eaten as a salad.

How it tastes

A classic Burmese curry sits with a slick of red oil floating on top — the sign of a si pyan (“oil returns”) braise. Salads are punchy and tart, built on lime, fish sauce, shallot, and crunchy fried legumes. Chili appears but rarely dominates.

Signature dishes & techniques

Mohinga — catfish chowder thickened with chickpea flour and ladled over rice noodles — is the national breakfast. Laphet thoke turns fermented tea leaves into a tart, addictive salad. Ohn no khao swe, the country’s coconut noodle soup, points back to neighboring Thailand and Malaysia.