Mingalarba, my fellow foodies out there!
On a very honest and brutal note, not all tourists enjoy having traditional Burmese food. It’s so sour, it’s so spicy, it’s fermented.
While we were in the Shan State which is supposedly known for its cuisine, we couldn’t find an authentic restaurant. In most tourist attractions, Thai restaurants are prominent.
It’s a pity because travellers will easily miss out on the REAL delicious food in Myanmar. Delicious is not exotic. We are not going to the extreme ends. Instead, we want to introduce simple Burmese food that both locals and foreigners can enjoy.
1. Beancurd Noodles (Tofu Nway)
To describe, it’s a bowl of sticky flat yellow noodle with tofu that almost tasted like cheese. The tofu is so soft, it melts in your mouth. It’s covered with the right amount of this savoury black sauce and topped off with my favourite cilantro. This is just perfect.
I had it in one of the eateries along the way to Aung Mingalar Bus Station in Yangon. Order it if you see it!
Price: 2,000 kyats
2. Fried Chickpea Tofu (Tofu Kyaw)
Plain or with sauce, it’s delicious and healthy (well, except that it’s usually deep fried). This is not the usual soy tofu, it’s made with chickpea! It is usually light yellow in colour and served as a side dish. Bite into a thin layer of battered flour and into a firm tofu texture, best served hot. Highly recommend to dig in immediately when it lands on your table.
3. Shan Noodle
I mean yeah, there’s the 999 Shan Noodles in Yangon that is almost on every traveller’s must go list. However, there are also a lot of shops with the same menu. What is different about 999 is that they have a lady boss who speaks English and an English menu for convenience.
If you have the chance to travel to Shan State, you can’t possibly miss out on Shan Noodles. The taste is completely different. I had mine at Sin Yaw Restaurant in Nyaungshwe. There are a few types of Shan Noodles from our trip experience.
Price: 2,000 kyats
4. Grilled Fish
If you planned to visit Maing Tauk Bridge in Inle Lake, don’t get turned off by the number of tourists in this restaurant across the lake. And don’t just get tea leaf salad…or Shan Noodle!
Get a grilled fish. It’s very basic – purely grilled but it tastes amazing served alongside sour and spicy, freshly made sauce.
If you’re up for a food challenge, try the lemon salad! It’s mixed of shredded cabbage with fresh lemon pulps.
I highly recommend Shwe Yee Win Floating Restaurant.
Price: 1,500 – 4,000 kyats depending on the size
5. Soup Noodles (Kyay-oh)
Don’t get me started on the food I had in Yangon. If you have limited time, weak stomach or both, I recommend visiting YKKO. The Kyay-oh is great and there are a lot of outlets. There is one located inside Junction City Shopping Mall, 5 minutes’ walk away from Bogyoke Aung San Market.
There are two types – one is the regular Kyay-oh with soup and another is a dry version called Kyay-oh Sichet. We chose the pork version for both and just a warning for y’all – there’s pig brain inside.
I prefer the Kyay-oh Sichet behind, it’s much more flavourful!
You can also try the one on Strand Road! It’s about the same price but it’s has a more local feel to it. I would recommend this store!
Price: 4,000 kyats
6. Pig’s Offal (Wat Thar Dote Toe)
I first said I would eat only a stick or two. I ended up with more than 10 sticks! Well, also because a stick was only a bite. We tried a few stores and the tastes difference is not significant. My favourite is the large intestines, as always. Dipped in their homemade chilli sauce, with freshly squeezed lime and chopped garlic.
There is a wide variety for you to choose from – stomach, tongue, liver, kidney, gizzard, soft bone, ear, large intestines, small intestines, pork belly and even the windpipe. You can point and order whatever you want, the vendor will slice a bite-size portion, put it on a stick and dip inside the boiling soup. Locals sit here for a long time, taking their time to eat and eventually leading to a bunch of sticks.
A fun thing to note, there are certain sticks that are intentionally broken at the end – these broken sticks indicate a cheaper price but could also mean they are sitting in the soup for some time already.
Price: 100 – 200 kyats per stick
Address
You can find many of these stalls along Strand Road
7. Fish Soup Noodles (Mohinga)
The nation’s breakfast not to be missed. The pungent fish paste smell might turn away some travellers but if you like it, it is definitely a hearty breakfast! Rice noodle, crushed yellow pea cracker, fish cake, freshly squeezed lime and lots of cilantro!
It’s not guaranteed that all vendors do the fish paste soup similarly. You need some luck in this!
I would recommend the street stall located at 22nd Street within Chinatown of Yangon. Only open during breakfast time!
If you want a guaranteed good taste, look out for this brand called MMDC which is a well-known brand for producing the instant soup paste of Mohinga. It’s a rest stop from Yangon to Bagan route.
8. Coconut Milk Soup Noodles (Ohn No Khao Swe)
Located right beside the Mohinga store at 22nd street of Chinatown. It’s a heavier breakfast option that has rice noodles in spicy coconut soup. The highlight of this dish is that locals always have a duck blood pudding to go along – usually sold in the same store.
Price: 900 kyats (includes a piece of duck blood)
9. Mixed Noodle Salad (A Sone Thote)
I always love a good mixed Burmese noodle salad. There is no standard recipe at all – but the perfect one I had is a mix of yellow noodles, rice vermicelli, chickpea beancurd, beancurd skin, potatoes, chicken, cilantro and extra salty, sour and spicy! You didn’t read that wrong.
Price: 1,000 kyats
10. Golden Duck
A reputable Chinese restaurant that is meant to host guests. Many have reviewed the restaurant as over-rated. Although I wouldn’t say this is my favourite duck or the best I have ever eaten, the duck has a unique taste that is in a world of its own. It’s a different comparison.
The meat is tender, extremely tender and the skin is fat – I honestly love it. Not all roast ducks have to be roasted till crispy to call it perfection. Golden Duck Restaurant chose a different kind of approach and it’s a good one in my opinion. I would certainly visit this place when I am back in Yangon.
Price: 7,400 (half a duck)
Address
222-224 Strand Rd, Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
Do you have a less known Burmese food you enjoyed?
