Burmese food can best be described as a fusion between Chinese and Indian cuisine with a slight influence from Thai food. Rice and noodles are the most important staple foods. Stir-fry and curry dishes make up every day meal. Many interesting meat and seafood dishes and a variety of exotic vegetable dishes can be found in the cuisine. Spices and condiments play a vital role in preparing fritters, soups, salads and main dishes. Soups and salads usually accompany the main meal, although course by course can also be quite exciting. The indispensable ingredients consist of fish sauce, shrimp paste, dried shrimps, soy sauce, rice flour, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, turmeric, tamarind, coriander, mint, chillies and coconut milk.
Batter prepared from rice flour, wheat flour and gram flour is used for fritters. Calabash and shrimps with bean sprout fritters are available in every corner. Dips prepared with tamarind juice, chillies, ginger, soy and garlic are perfect for fritters. Salads are mainly garnished with dried shrimps and fried onions. They are very refreshing because of the tangy flavours from lemon and tamarind juices. Rice and noodle salad may be considered as national salad dish, although vegetable, papaya, chicken and shrimp salads are also very popular. Soups can be mild or spicy, thick or clear. Bottle gourd soup may be taken in place of water during the meal. Chicken, shrimp and lime soup with lemongrass will add special taste to your meal.
Many main dishes contain sauce prepared with tomatoes, but soy sauce is also extensively used. Mokhingar (rice noodles with thin fish gravy) and Ohn-No Khaukswe (noodles in coconut gravy) are served on all occasions. Lemongrass chicken, stir-fried mixed vegetables, country style beef or lamb and fish curry are extremely popular dishes. Steamed rice is eaten everyday, perhaps three times a day, and coconut rice, on special occasions. Various fried rice dishes and fried noodles too are eaten regularly.
People in Burma hardly prepare any desserts at home. A few yards away from your doorstep, you will find a stall selling all sorts of sweets. Door-to-door selling of sweets is part of Burmese way of life. Agar agar jelly and baked semolina are two main sweet dishes. When we feel like eating sweets we simply wait for a hawker to appear or walk a few steps to buy. Sweets need not follow a main meal! Most of the sweets are coconutty, either served in a coconut milk sauce or garnished with grated coconut. Molasses is made into a medium thin sauce, which complements the coconut.
Fruits like bananas, durians, guavas, jackfruits, lychees, mangos, mangosteens, papayas, pineapples and plums are local favourites, but apples, grapes and oranges are now grown in Burma.
When you select among our carefully prepared cuisine, we encourage you to be adventurous, to try an eclectic combination of the savour, fragrances and textures offered in our dishes. We hope your meal with us will add a touch of class and satisfaction to your culinary experience.