Breakfast of Kings

There was once a time when I thought tofu was only made of soy beans. But after eating food from the eastern Shan state of Myanmar, I was glad to be proved wrong.  Tofu can also be made with chickpeas. Even better, it can be made into one of the best noodle dishes anywhere on this planet. And I’m not overexaggerating.

Through a somewhat laborious process, the chickpea, unappealing to some, can be made into a universally friendly thick, almost creamy sauce, which is poured over sticky rice noodles. Top that off with fresh coriander, peanut, soy, chilli flakes (you need to add these yourself) and tender pork, and you have a slightly sweet and moreishly addictive breakfast of kings (and queens).  And don’t forget to mop up excess chickpea tofu sauce with fried chickpea tofu fritters.

Inn gyin see sar eating house (http://www.myanmaryp.com/company/81649/Inn_Gyin_See_Sar_Eating_House)  is one of the best places to have this stuff in the whole of Yangon, if you don’t have time to venture to Shan state. Just be warned this is a bit off the tourist trail so make sure your host or cab driver knows their way before heading off. Recommended accompaniments are their passionfruit juice and complimentary pickles to help cut through the protein rich sauce.

Super sweet mantis shrimp and much, much more

Rakhine state unfortunately has been making the news for mainly the wrong reasons in the last few years, due to religious conflict in the region. But I’m gonna highlight a more palatable aspect of this western state of Myanmar, its fantastic seafood.

Minn Lan (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294191-d3222258-Reviews-Minn_Lan-Yangon_Rangoon_Yangon_Region.html) has several eateries dotted around Yangon and is a safe bet for quality, reasonably priced seafood. Must haves include steamed mantis shrimp whose incredibly sweet flesh is almost unmatched elsewhere in the animal kingdom; razor clam stir fry with garlic and spring onions and even more garlic when grilled with river prawns. And don’t forget to try their ‘mont di noodles’, vermicelli-esque noodles that come in two varieties – a spicy prawn paste infused Rakhine state version, or a lentil infused Burmese style version.

Awesomely aromatic red banana cake

When in Myanmar, going to a bakery might not be on the top of your to do list. But in terms of unique local eats, a visit to one of the Shwe Pu Zun bakeries (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shwe-Pu-Zun-Cakes-and-Cold-Drinks/148759965188606) should be right up there. 

For a sweet  Burmese treat, try their red banana cake (shwe pyi). It has a slightly odd, half Malaysian kueh – half English cake type of texture, but really, this is all about the incredibly fragrant power of the red banana – sweet and awesomely aromatic.

For something savoury, arrive around 3-4pm to treat their mutton puffs (they sell out quickly!). Light puff pastry encases tender, delicately spiced shredded mutton to create a light and highly moreish snack. I really don't need to say more.

Myanmar style curry

A proper Burmese curry comes with a standard layer of oil on top. It’s just the way curries are done in Myanmar. You can of course, decant the oil elsewhere but I’d recommend you leave a least a tad – there’s tons of flavour hidden within this layer of grease.

I don’t have a clue how to say the name of this place so you might have to show the picture of this business card (below) to a cab driver or a local. So whilst it might be a tad tough to get to, the adventure, and more importantly, the food, will make it all worth the trouble. My favourite, hands down, is pone gye yii, a black bean paste pork belly curry from the Bagan region (pictured above).  Nutty, earthy, fatty and well, damn good. This place also does a mean mutton curry and dal.