Burmese salads (Burmese:အသုပ်; transliteratedathoke orathouk) are a diverse category of indigenoussalads inBurmese cuisine. Burmese salads are made of cooked and raw ingredients that are mixed by hand to combine and balance a wide-ranging array of flavors and textures.[1] Burmese salads are eaten as standalone snacks, asside dishes paired withBurmese curries, and as entrees.[2] The most common or popular, the iconiclaphet thoke (fermented tea leaf salad) is traditionally eaten as a palate cleanser at the end of a meal.[3]
A street vendor preparingtophu thoke (tofu salad).
Burmese salads are typically centered on one major ingredient, ranging from rice, noodles and cooked ingredients (e.g.,Burmese fritters), to raw fruits and vegetables. Common starches used in Burmese salads include rice,egg noodles,rice vermicelli,rice noodles, and potatoes. Burmese salads may also feature raw vegetables and fruits, such as tomatoes, cabbage, onions,kaffir lime,long beans, and mangoes. Fermented ingredients, includinglahpet (pickled tea leaves),ngapi (fish paste),pon ye gyi (fermented bean paste), and pickled ginger, also feature prominently in several classic Burmese salads.[4]
Samuza thoke, made with chopped pieces of samosa and a light curry broth
While the repertoire of Burmese salads has not been codified, Burmese salads are invariably suffixed with the word "-thoke" (သုပ်;lit.'to mix by hand') in theBurmese language. Burmese salads are typically named after the salad's central ingredient (such as pomelo, ginger, or others). Common Burmese salads are listed below.
Ngachin thoke (ငါးချဉ်သုပ်) – a salad ofngachin (pressed sour fish), garlic, shallots, fresh chillies, and coriander[5]
Ngapi thoke (ငါးပိသုပ်) – salad ofngapi (fermented fish paste)
Pon ye gyi thoke (ပုန်းရည်ကြီးသုပ်)– a salad fromUpper Myanmar, featuringpon ye gyi (fermented bean paste), raw diced onions and shallots, anddried shrimp[6]
A plate ofmyinkhwaywet thoke featuring raw pennywort leaves
Gazun ywet thoke (ကန်စွန်းရွက်သုပ်)– a salad made with blanchedwater spinach, lime juice, fried garlic and garlic oil, roasted rice powder and dried shrimp[8]
Nattalin rice salad – A regional variation of rice salad from Bago Region'sNattalin, served with rice, slicedBurmese tofu, sliced onions, carrots, coriander, cabbage, roasted chickpea flour, fried crackers, roasted chili powder, eaten with garlic, fermented bean sprouts and fermented mango[22]
Padaung rice salad – A regional variation of rice salad from Bago Region'sPadaung, consisting of rice, fried tofu, and fried crackers[23]
Pyay rice salad - A regional variation of rice salad from Bago Region'sPyay, served with rice, cellophane noodles, cabbage, potato, mushrooms and bean sprouts, pulverised dried shrimp, chickpea flour and roasted chili powder, fried tofu puffs, and dressed with garlic oil, tamarind juice, fish sauce[24]
Thegon rice salad – A regional variation of rice salad from Bago Region'sThegon, served with potato, julienned green papaya, noodles,cellophane noodles, rice, chickpea flour, fried crackers, and fermentedbean sprouts dressed in tamarind juice, garlic oil and chili oil, and traditionally served onDipterocarpus tuberculatus leaves[25]
Pyay palata (ပြည်ပလာတာ) orPalata thoke (ပလာတာသုပ်) – a salad of hand-tornparatha in a spiced potato curry broth, served with fresh mint, julienned cabbage, and onions, from the town ofPyay[26]
Mee kola (Khmer:មីកូឡា orមីកុឡា), also known as Burmese-style noodles,[28] is aCambodian noodle dish that originated among theKola people in thePailin Province, who originally descended from Burmese migrants to Cambodia's northwest.[29] The noodle salad consists of steamed rice vermicelli, cooked withsoy sauce and garlic chives, and served with pickled vegetables (e.g., papaya, carrot, and cucumber),hard-boiled eggs, sweet garlic fish sauce, dried shrimp, and crushed peanuts, and garnished with lime and chili flakes.[30][31][32] The dish has become a popular street food in Cambodia.[31]
Following the1962 Burmese coup d'état, over 300,000Burmese Indians returned to their ancestral homes in India.[33] Many refugees settled in the port city ofMadras (now Chennai), where a community aroundBurma Bazaar inGeorge Town formed.[34] Burmese Indian refugees there became street hawkers, selling a dish locally calledatho (அத்தோ), which is an adaptation ofkhauk swe thoke, the Burmese noodle salad.[34] Atho is a mixture of noodles, shredded cabbage and onions garnished withtamarind, salt, fried onions, chili flakes, garlic andajinomoto seasoning.[35][36]
^abcdeAye, MiMi (2019-06-13).Mandalay: Recipes and Tales from a Burmese Kitchen. Bloomsbury Publishing.ISBN978-1-4729-5948-5.
^abcdRobert, Claudia Saw Lwin; Pe, Win; Hutton, Wendy (2014-02-04).The Food of Myanmar: Authentic Recipes from the Land of the Golden Pagodas. Tuttle Publishing.ISBN978-1-4629-1368-8.
^Gross, Matt (2012-09-20)."Burma Blossoms".AFAR.Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved2021-01-09.
^Kyaw Lin Thant (2016-05-04).""မဒေါက်" ငါးချဉ်".MyFood Myanmar (in Burmese).Archived from the original on 2021-01-29. Retrieved2021-12-30.
Media related toSalads of Myanmar at Wikimedia Commons