The Saga of a Burmese Salad…
I’m honestly not sure which I adore more – traveling the world, or… EATING my way through it!
Consequently, I’ve shared a goodly number of globe-grazing here in the TL halls over the years (like here, here, here, and here).
I’ve covered everything from the humblest 50¢ street ceviche-ish snack, to my (OMG $200!) lunch at one of the World’s BEST restaurants in Lima, Peru. Even a most memorable “Mystery Dinner” right here in Cuenca.
Shoot, I even converted all my childhood turkey-day favorites into my own (15 course!) “tasting menu” one Thanksgiving here in Cuenca.
But I must say – among the plethora of strange and delicious eats that I’ve enjoyed over my life-long travels – there is one dish that’s arguably my most memorable of all – my decade-long love affair with a simple salad:
Lahpet Thoke (a.k.a. Burmese Fermented Tea Leaf Salad)
Um, make that not-so-simple (given that “fermented tea leaves” are a tad hard to find here on this 8,400+ foot mountain-top in the South American Andes). Nonetheless, a most HEAVENLY concoction that first blessed my lips on a street corner in Myanmar back in November 2013 (shoot, it might even be that moment’s 12th anniversary today!)
So in honor of that most serendipitous chance encounter amid the chaotic streets of Yangon nearly a dozen years ago, I thought I’d share the entire saga to date – from Myanmar to London, to my own sweet “La Cocina de Dyannita” right here in Cuenca, Ecuador.
The Original First-Ever Taste (a.k.a. Yangon, Myanmar)
It’s been more than a decade since I stood there amid the buzzing chaos in that dusty lane at the wee street-food stand. I honestly don’t recall why I chose that particular stand to order (whatever) she was making (I most certainly didn’t know then, that it was called “lahpet thoke”). I guess it was just the fragrant smell and the eclectic mix of ingredients that caught my eye – along with a sudden urge to taste the concoction she was so expertly tossing together.
Nor did I know then, that it would prove oh so very delicious. So delicious in fact, that I STILL remember that amazing combination of earthy/spicy/yummy/crunchy that she spooned into a small plastic bag in exchange for my handful of “kyat” (the Burmese currency, pronounced “chat”).
In short, trust that I’ve eaten a most eclectic assortment of tasty exotic eats in my life-long travels, but THAT dainty plastic bag of epicurean delight verily made me SWOON!
The Posh British Taste (a.k.a. London, England)
Ah but shortly thereafter, I hopped to another continent entirely. After 2+ years in Asia, I resettled here to a new home-base in Ecuador. And though my beloved Cuenca offered a whole new array of delicious taste treats (like creamy “encebollado” fish soup, and succulent “hornado”: melt-in-your-mouth pork – served directly off the roasted pig!)…
Nonetheless, that bagful of delectable lahpet thoke that I swooned over in Myanmar was never far from this foodie’s mind. No way was such an exotic Asian dish served anywhere on this Latin-American mountain-top. Nor was I about to find a stash of “fermented tea leaves” at the neighborhood mercado. So I pushed the memory of that scrumptious Burmese salad to the back of my mind, until…
Until last year as I was (blissfully, as always) cobbling together a new travel itinerary to London, Belgium and Ireland. Now London of course is verily TEEMING with all manner of the World’s cuisines, so… Naturally I couldn’t help but Google for “Burmese restaurants in London”, and…
It’s on the menu, yippeee!!!
Woo-HOOO! I found “Lahpet” a Burmese restaurant just around the corner from Brick Lane (a foodie heaven of its own) near my East London hotel. And by golly… they have Tea Leaf Salad on the menu! Needless to say, on my very first night solo in London, I made my way to Lahpet, and of COURSE ordered the lahpet thoke salad. Furthermore…
Coincidentally (though as most all my dear TL readers know, I’ve ever favored SOLO traveling) turns out a dear chum from D.C. opted to join me for a week while I was in London. He arrived a day after me and… naturally I made sure we went BACK to Lahpet for dinner and I ordered my SECOND lahpet thoke salad in London – more than a decade since I first had it in Myanmar in 2013.
Indeed – so very obsessed was I with this salad – I even wrangled a packet of the precious fermented tea leaves from the chef. I tucked the packet in my carry-on through Belgium, Ireland and finally (well they ARE “fermented” after all, so no need to perpetually refrigerate) stashed that precious packet of fermented goodness into my fridge here in Cuenca – awaiting a homemade fabrication of the salad right here at La Cocina de Dyannita.
The Homemade Taste (a.k.a. right here in Cocina de Dyannita in Cuenca, Ecuador)
Returning home across the Atlantic after my month-long, 3-country adventure in Europe, I initially had (not surprisingly) a bit of jet-lag. But after I settled in (as always, giddy to sleep in my own bed!), I of course dug out that precious packet of fermented tea leaves, and Googled in earnest for recipes to make my own homemade lahpet thoke salad.
Most the recipes called for Asian ingredients not available here on this mountain top in South America. But (after more than a decade living first in Vietnam and now Ecuador) I must say, I’ve gotten rather good at “making-do” with alternates for all manner of elusive items that are common in my native land. And foodie-wise, I’ve become quite the whiz at substituting a-plenty when rustling-up a stray U.S. comfort food (like good ol’ Reese’s peanut butter cups), or trying to replicate some exotic dish that I’ve tasted in my travels.
Alas, no “shrimp floss” nor did I bother deep-frying a handful of lentils that most recipes call for. But I did manage to fry up some nice crunchy garlic chips, opted for “pepas de sambo” (a.k.a. pumpkin seeds) to replace the (uber pricey here) sunflower seeds, and even grew my own batch of fresh alfalfa spouts just for this salad!
I did find soy nuts, and roasted some peanuts in chili oil. And of course shredded cabbage, green chilies, sesame seeds, chopped tomatoes and green peppers were easy to come by here, along with a side of sliced avocado and fresh limes for good measure. Oh, and (muy importante for any and all Asian dishes) – by some miracle – I did have a big bottle of FISH SAUCE (that I bought from a Thai restaurant here in Cuenca that was going out of business several years ago). lol, we foodie expats are nothing if not resourceful! 😉 The result?
Now I ask ya – does this traveln foodie know how to rustle up a Burmese salad – or what? 😉
The Final OMG Find!!! (a.k.a. g-bless this silly “internet” contraption)
By sheer LUCK – while pecking this very post – I stumbled upon (finally!) a fellow blogger’s recipe post – with the precise HOW-TO make – not only the lahpet thoke salad, but how to ferment the tea leaves from scratch (w/ a simple blend of green and oolong tea)!
Hallelujah and Glory-be!!! Now I can make my OWN fermented tea leaves. And needless to say – there’s gonna be a lot more Lahpet Thoke salads in my future!
P. S. New here and curious who I am? Check my bio to learn more! Better yet, subscribe to my email list (so you never miss a single post) and get a pdf of my 30+ Best Travel Tips (trust me, at least one is sure to be a revelation).
About the Author
Dyanne Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion,and I’ve always lived life “like-a-kid-in-a-candy-store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been: This ain’t a dress rehearsal, folks!
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Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion, and I’ve always lived life “like a kid in a candy store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been:
