Burmese
Lahpet Thoke
Myanmar’s celebrated fermented tea-leaf salad layered with cabbage, tomato, fried split peas, peanuts, sesame, garlic chips, lime, fish sauce, and fresh green chile.
6 servings · 25 minutes prep · 5 minutes cook
Ingredients
Garlic and Tea Leaf Dressing
- 4 large garlic cloves, sliced paper-thin crosswise
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1/3 cup prepared fermented tea leaves for salad, taste before using; rinse and squeeze only if excessively salty or bitter
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce, add gradually according to the tea leaves’ seasoning
Salad and Crunch
- 6 ounces green cabbage, very thinly shredded
- 2 medium firm tomatoes, seeded and cut into slim wedges
- 1/2 cup Burmese fried yellow split peas
- 1/3 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 green bird’s-eye chile, thinly sliced
Directions
Fry the Garlic Gently
- Combine the garlic and neutral oil in a cold small skillet. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the slices are pale gold, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Immediately lift the garlic with a slotted spoon to a heatproof plate. Reserve the oil and let both cool completely; the garlic will crisp as it stands.
Season the Lahpet
- Taste the fermented tea leaves. If aggressively salty or bitter, rinse briefly and squeeze very dry; otherwise use directly. Stir with 1 tablespoon of the reserved garlic oil and the lime juice.
- Add half the fish sauce, taste with a shred of cabbage, and add the remainder only if the combined bite needs more salt and savor.
Arrange the Contrasts
- Place the cabbage in a broad salad bowl. Arrange the tomatoes, seasoned lahpet, fried split peas, peanuts, sesame seeds, crisp garlic, and green chile in separate piles over it.
Toss at the Table
- Present the arranged bowl, then toss thoroughly just before eating, lifting the concentrated lahpet through the cabbage. Add another teaspoon of garlic oil only if the leaves look dry. Serve immediately while the peas and garlic still crackle.
