"Tha-tha-lo" - Vegan in Myanmar

Myanmar has a rich and unique cuisine which incorporates some Indian, Thai and Chinese influences and varies throughout different regions of the country. It is perhaps less known than its more famous neighboring kitchens but it is just as delicious (in our opinion), and is the proud owner of some truly distinct dishes  that you won't find anywhere else. 

At first it might seem like most of the dishes are pork, chicken or fish based, but a closer look will prove otherwise. As we became more familiar with the local food and also learned the useful phrase "Tha-Tha-lo" (literally meaning lifeless) that roughly translates to "I'm a vegetarian," we discovered that there are quite a few vegan and vegetarian options.

Salad Heaven

Not knowing much about Myanmar food, we were surprised to find such a wide selection of salads on the menu. These spicy salads are called Athouq and commonly incorporate peanuts, lime juice, onion and chillies. They are fresh and bursting with flavor and the best part, they are usually vegan! The most famous one is the pickled Tea leaf salad (laphet thoke), which is made with fermented tea leaves, tomatoes, peanuts and quite a lot of oil (a recurring motif in the Burmese salads). 

Other salads we tried were tomato salad, ginger salad, fried tofu salad, chickpea Tofu salad, Shan noodle salad (and other noodle salad variations) and some less common ones like rice salad, samosa salad, pennywort leaf salad, lime leaf salad, lemon salad and eggplant salad. We took a wonderful cooking class in Nyaungshwe, Inle lake and also made (and ate) an exotic malar flower salad and jackfruit salad!

laphet thoke- pickled tea-leaf salad

another variation of tea leaf salad

fried tofu salad

tofu salad in Nyaungshwe market

chickpea tofu salad

typical salad stand in Yangon

noodle salad

samosa salad in Nyaungshwe

eggplant salad in Bagan

red rice salad in Hpa-an

Jackfruit salad

Soup of the day

Another typical dish that can be vegan is Shan noodle soup (Shan khauk-swe), it is most common in Shan state in northern Myanmar but can be found anywhere in different variations. We had some delicious ones in Nyaungshwe in Inle Lake and Hsipaw. The main ingredient are the shan noodles which are thin wheat noodles, garlic, peanut oil, and peanuts. Sometime it is made with chicken powder or chicken stock so make sure to ask or just use the magic phrase- thathatlo!

spicy Shan noodle soup

Shan noodle soup with tofu gravy

an exciting new dish we discovered was samosa soup, made with shredded samosas, dal (lentil gravy), cabbage, cilantro, lime  and Indian spices. We found it on the streets of Yangon where Indian influence is prevalent, for only 250 Kyats (about US$0.2)!

samosa soup

Outside influences

If you crave some Indian food you can easily find it in Yangon, where there are many Indian restaurants and street stalls.

Dal vada and other Indian snacks in Yangon

Indian thalis in Golden City and New Delhi restaurants in Yangon

In the south of Myanmar you will find Thai influences and some Thai food restaurants. Chinese food on menus and Chinese restaurants seem to be all over Myanmar. They usually have some vegetarian dishes like fried cauliflower, watercress, mustard leaf and snow peas, but they often add oyster sauce so beware.

Thai papaya salad in Hpa-an

Helpful  tips

• Even if you asked for "Tha-Tha-lo" it doesn't always mean that your dish will be 100% vegan, watch out for fish sauce, oyster sauce, dried shrimps or shrimp paste. In street stalls when the food is made in front of you it is easier to see what they add and specifically avoid it.
• In local restaurant you will often get a complimentary clear soup served with whatever dish your ordered, it is almost always chicken/pork soup!
• In traditional Burmese restaurants when you order a curry you get several side dishes on the house- most of them have shrimp paste or fried dried fish inside.
• When you are ready to pay the bill, simply say "she-me", and you will get your bill along with a smile :)

curry and complimentary side dishes, all veg!

Burmese "thali", the soup was veg too!

noodle street stall

noodles with tofu

fried peanuts and fried pennywort leaves snacks

Mont Lin Ma Yar- savory rice flour pancakes

sweet dosa with coconut and peanuts

Palmo- sweet bun in Nyaungshwe

fresh tropical fruit everywhere

green mango stall- a yummy crunchy sour snack,
often eaten with chili powder!