What Myanmar fed us: vegetables, fish, chicken, and unlimited rice!

This is the five-color vegetables we ordered. We got a beautiful line up of stir-fried sweet peas, napa cabbage, young corn, cauliflower and carrots. We had this in Mandalay, but as in anywhere in Myanmar, vegetables are a side dish or a complimentary dish aside from the soup and mango chutney and fermented fish/prawns.

***

This is one tasty fish which is first wrapped with chopped leaves which preserved the fish fat (see bottom layer) and spices before the banana leaves. This must be steamed and the fish meat (see the second layer) is very tasty while the skin is delicately smooth. I want to replicate this cooking. We had this in a Shan Restaurant in Mandalay near our hotel.

***

Fish hot clay pot. Chunks of fried fish with vegetables and spices and visibly garnished with onion rings and pineapple slices. This is one nice rice partner. It is served in a small wok with a burner underneath. We had this in Bagan.

***

Speaking of snacks, I like this deep-fried potato chips at 500 to 1000 kyatts (23 to 46 php), it is worth a try. Nest to this locally made treat is the tamarind chip (not pictured) which is a candied tamarind served in thin round pieces of ten in each fold. 

*** 

 This is the ultimate surprise among what I had. A fruit that looks like Jackfruit, Smells like Jackfruit but each piece of flesh and seed picks like Marang and Feels like Marang and the taste is interesting Jackfruit and Marang. We had this in Mt. Popa area where fruits and vegetables abound.

***

Gingered steamed fish in light soy/fish sauce. 

We had this in a Shan State restaurant in Yangon.

***

Light floured and fried Catfish in Ginger and Chili oil. This goes well with unlimited rice which the Myanmarese instantly serves while one's plate and stomach is open. (Yangon)

***

Another delectable fried fish with vegetables and soy and bean sauce. (Yangon)

***

On our way to Bagan, we stopped at the 24-hour restaurant in an express highway and our driver had this. I dipped the round eggplant and alas! it was raw, to my surprise. Though I eat vegetables but I did not like my first bite... Other greens are friendly though. The dip is like fermented fish, and it must be....

 (En route to Bagan)

***

Upon arriving Mandalay, we were given this free and extra treat aside from our main orders we had. Clockwise, the sauce is vinegared, then the fried bean or nuts, then the fried garlic, then the dried shrimp (like ours) and a fermented leaves that must be tea cooked/tasted like our local "laing." We had this in Mandalay.

This must be the Laphet thoke which the wikipedia describes as a symbolic dish of Burma, albeit a snack. It consists of pickled tea leaves soaked in oil eaten with an assortment of fritters including roasted groundnuts, deep fried garlic, sun dried prawns, toasted sesame and deepfried crispy beans. Laphet is served in a traditional 'oat' - a lacquer container with individual compartments for each ingredients. Lahpet was an ancient symbolic peace offering between warring kingdoms in the history of Myanmar, and is exchanged and consumed after settling a dispute.

***

Dreaming of this thin yellow noodles from a Chinese noodle house in Mandalay, Myanmar. I also liked their chicken, it's tasty like our "native chicken." This serving is actually good for two persons but I finished it all nice and clean. At 1,800 kyatt (P85php) this is one good treat. Myanmarese food is influenced by Indian, Chinese and Thai cuisines.

***

Fish with watercress a.k.a. kangkong.  

Yummy and of course, I can recreate this.

***

Our last meal is not grand but it was paid for. We found 5000 kyatts on the dark street; so aside from this last supper in Yangon consisting of fried noodle topped with fried egg and cooked with plenty of oil topped before it was topped with pre-cooked chicken,  we were able to share tip to our baggage carrier and driver the next day. We liked the noodle which is very much like our pansit mami but the oil made me heady.

***