Food: Myanmar

Rice & curry

A "standard" Burmese meal at one of the roadside places consists of whichever curries you fancy from a range of bain maries, a heap of rice and some side dishes. On the whole I found the curries to be very meat focused - even the egg curry was usually in some sort of meat gravy. I always managed to find something to eat though, even if it was just side dishes. There was almost always a vegetable based soup and salad ingredients like raw carrots, cucumber, random leaves.. 

Broad bean, eggplant, dried fishies - at Two Two in Mandalay 

The curries were pretty unique in that they did not resemble the well known Thai or Indian curries, but rather was their own style. Onion and garlic flavours were dominant, and most were not particularly heavy in chilli.

A "fancy" meal at some roadside place in Nyaungshwe.

The curries are in china bowls and the side dishes in glass bowls

The rice was often quite broken and coarse - not the refined stuff we are used to in the West. There was always a mountain of it which helped to offset the heavy oily curries. 

A meal at a random place in Yangon, recommended by the post office lady

Tofu curry and egg curry at Redstar in Nyaungshwe. The green tomato salad was so refreshing.

The rice & curry places usually had a jar full of jaggery balls for dessert. 

Noodles

We saw noodles everywhere in Myanmar. The most popular of these is Shan noodles, interestingly translated as 饵丝 on Chinese menus. 

Shan noodles in Bogyoke Aung San market, Yangon

They can be served in soup or "dry" as here, usually with a heady mix of peanut, chilli and coriander and a squeeze of lime. The noodles are tossed until they are well coated in this mixture and there are usually bits of greens for a textural change. Utterly delicious, never got tired of this.

Plain noodles from a roadside cart 

Shan noodles buried under a pile of vegetables, Pan Cherry teahouse, Mandalay

Thicker Shan noodles in Nyaungshwe, opposite the market

Coconut noodles at Than Lwin guesthouse, Yangon 

Tea house

Teahouses are the best places to while away a few hours watching life go by, but sadly we just weren't in Myanmar long enough to do that very often. At the teahouses Chinese tea is complimentary and often used to wash the cups out, or as a bit of a fill-in drink in between drinks. Usually Burmese tea is the drink of choice, a thick strong brew sweetened with condensed milk. There was also instant coffee, a variety of soft drinks and sometimes) fruit shakes.

One day we were waiting for the bus in Bagan, so we spent the afternoon at Skyworld teahouse. It was interesting to see the dynamics of the teahouse - all the "waitstaff" were boys and girls aged perhaps 10-12, who all answer to a fat owner sitting in a tatty singlet & longyi behind the counter counting money. The regulars are offered cigarettes when they sit down, also brought out by the teaboys/girls. Teacups are brought out with giant metal tongs and deposited unceremoniously in front of you making a small splatter.

A variety of snacks are on offer.

Chapatti with butter and sugar 

Pastries filled with sweet bean paste like 老婆饼

Fried puffs filled with shredded coconut 

Other random food photos

 Fried Shan tofu with radish pickle

Random bus stop purchase of purple sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf which had a very strange taste - it was uncuttable and unchewable. Even chilli didn't help

Pickled tea leaf salad - at Taste Myanmar, Yangon

 A sign in Bagan - who knew good is a country?

Fried kittens? 

The best airline meal ever - Indian veg meal on Singapore airlines. Proper curries separated in little paper cups, a spicy bread, pappadums, yoghurt & pickle, and even milk burfi to finish the meal!