5 Best Foods to Taste in Bagan Night Market

The ancient capital Bagan is a mysterious land that any tourists need to visit when traveling to Myanmar. The cuisine is an integral part of the trips and it is the same for a tour in Bagan. Myanmar cuisine is extremely diverse and imbued with the culture of this country. Bagan night market as known as the Bu Paya market is located along Bu Pagoda side with a hundred shops and restaurants as well as food trucks, which open from 6 pm to 10 pm every day. While walking on the Bagan night market, tourists are able to see the sunset on the Ayeyarwady River by the Bu Pagoda or visit Tharabar Gate near there. Let’s find out what the must-try dishes here!

1. Tea Leaves Salad

Fermented tea leaves are a national dish and play an important role in Myanmar cuisine. This dish is known as Lahpet Thoke, “Lahpet” in Myanmar means green tea, and “thoke” means salad. To be able to make this attractive salad, people only choose the best tea leaves and then ferment it. Then, the tea leaves will be soaked in sesame oil then mixed with fried garlic, peas, peanuts, roasted sesame, crushed dried shrimp, chopped ginger, and chopped coconut.

Tea leaves salad

The perfect salad will have a slightly sweet, spicy, and crunchy tea leaf. Many Burmese people believe in the medical and healing properties when eating this tea leaves salad. This national dish is also popular with students to help prevent fatigue and drowsiness. Do not forget to try tea leaves salad on your Bagan night market trip!

2. Shan Tofu noodle

Noodle is very popular in Bagan, there are many kinds of noodles here such as Shan tofu, Nangyi thoke, Mohinga and Shan’s noodle, etc. Shan tofu noodle is the most unique and traditional dish of the Shan tribe in Myanmar. The main ingredient of this dish is tofu, but unlike other countries, it is not made from soy, Shan tofu is a thick soup made from yellow lentils and chickpeas. This yellow soup is sprinkled on noodles, added with chicken or pork, and a little satay. This dish is served with pickled vegetables and broth.

Shan Tofu

Although this combination may seem strange to many people, the taste will make you enjoy the dish. Shan tofu noodle will make you feel very comfortable and refreshing body and very easy to eat. You can eat Shan tofu in 3 different ways such as a cold with a mannequin, hot with the soup, and eat with hard tofu, chutney, crushed peanuts, or fried with dipping sauce. The locals often have Shan Tofu noodles for breakfast, however, you can try it every time of the day around famous tourist destinations in Myanmar as well as a night market in Bagan.

3. “Moun”

Sweets in Myanmar are called "moun" and often served with tea. Unlike other cakes covered by sugar, Burmese often use copra and coconut milk, sticky rice, and fruit to create a unique sweetness.

Moun

There are some popular “moun” in Bagan night market:

• Has Nwin Ma Kin: is a small cake made from flour mixed with coconut milk, butter, and raisins;
• Koh Pieh: is a type of cake made from sticky rice, covered with a layer of sesame and the coconut will be added with a little salt and pepper before eating;
• Koh Puo: is made from black or white sticky rice then baked on charcoal. This cake is served with a kind of syrup made from palm sugar.
• Kauknyintok: If you like to eat bananas, then Kauknyintok is a dish you should not ignore. This cake is made from banana, coconut milk, and sugar and covered with a layer of sticky rice.

4. Fried food

Burmese have a special passion for fried food, so fried cake with various sizes and shapes are the most popular dishes on the streets of Myanmar as well as the Bagan night market. Fried roll, fried bread, crispy donuts with special flavor is served with a sweet and sour sauce made from tamarind fruit creating an undeniable attraction for tourists.

Fried food in Bagan

Most types of fried cake in Myanmar are made from rice flour or sticky rice flour, sometimes a mixture of both two ones. Locals mix flour with crushed garlic, onion, and ginger. These spices bring an attractive aroma to the sweet when frying in an oil pan. A famous dish you should try here is Buthi Kyaw which deep-fried zucchini, eat with sweet and sour sauces made from tamarind and bean paste.

Besides that, flour is also mixed with coconut, sesame seeds, tomatoes, curry powder, etc. to make many different dishes.

5. Myanmar Tea Mix

In Bagan, you can see tea shops everywhere. The signature tea that every tourist to this region has to try is called “Tea Mix”, which is made with condensed milk, but the tea has a little black bean taste, quite strange and attractive. Tea shops are also places where Myanmar people meet and chit chat. Tea is often sold with the snacks if it is a Chinese-owned tea shop, sweet dumplings made from red beans and green beans are often served with.

Tea mix

After hang out throughout the day, a refreshing drink like lemonade is very useful. In Bagan, lemonade is served in every water shop in night markets, bars, restaurants, or fast-food restaurants in shopping centers.

Experience special cuisines and a trip at the Bagan night market, discovering sacred temples, beautiful natural landscapes, and friendly people will bring you a true journey means. Let’s contact BestPrice Travel to find out more information about and book a Bagan tour today!

Thanh Van

(Image source: Internet)