Blog #8: Burmese Food

“It’s going to be about a one and a half hour wait," the host said. “OK, the name is Chand," I replied, before saying thank you, leaving my cell number and scurrying off to the bar across and down the street. The only reason why there were no heavy sighs of disappointment or instant replies of “Oh, that’s too long," followed by moving on to Plan B is because I was at Burma Superstar in San Francisco, the most popular Burmese restaurant in all of the Bay Area and you guessed it, they don’t take reservations. 

Burmese food is hard to find, based on where you live but in SF and the Bay area, you are in luck! You’ve got options. This incredible cuisine which borrows from Indian, Thai and Chinese flavors, will surprise and delight you like no other. While I myself come from Indian descent, before having tried Burmese food, all I knew of Burma was that Tup Tim, the princess in the King and I (whom I played at the largest dinner theater in the country in my 20’s) was from there. Gosh, those costumes were stunning! But, I digress. Since then, I have come to learn that Burma was in fact a part of the Indian Empire when it was British run, but it broke off and became its own country in 1937, 10 years before India became independent. Myanmar is actually the name of this country (as of 1988) although in the US, we still refer to it as Burma. Americans just do what they want, don’t they? This country is located in the Western part of mainland Southeast Asia. 

Burmese food is filled with all kinds of delectable curries, breads, rice, stir fries and noodles but today, I am going to focus solely on a salad. The tea leaf salad. I kid you not when I say that it is the best salad I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. If you’ve been following my blog, you know I’ve been to 34 countries. I’ve eaten salads in every, single one of those countries. This one? BEST. SALAD. EVER. 

Burma is one of the few countries where tea is not only drunk but also eaten. The word is lahpet- Burmese for fermented or pickled tea leaves. The tea leaves can be fermented for up to 5 months. At every special occasion in Burma, lahpet will be present. There are truly no words to describe how special this preparation is and how wonderfully pleasing it is in this specific salad. 

Let me start by sharing with you, the ingredients of the tea leaf salad. Tea leaf, lettuce, cabbage, peanuts, fried yellow beans, tomatoes, fried garlic, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, jalapeño and dried shrimp. The tea leaf is mixed with lemon and oil to give it a paste like consistency which serves as a dressing of sorts. I love that this salad is served with all of the components still separated on top of the bed of greens, like a vibrant rainbow of ingredients.

The server mixes it at the table for you, his or her wrists gracefully folding all of the elements together like a beautiful dance. It’s true, we do eat with our eyes first, so seeing this lovely presentation just wets the palate even more. If you are not a fan of dried shrimp or are a vegetarian, simply leave it off! The flavors will still pop like no other. Now imagine the soft, melt in your mouth texture of the tea leaf combined with the savory crunch of the garlic, sesame and peanuts and you are, without a doubt, in flavor and texture heaven! 

If you are not convinced yet that this is the best salad you will ever eat in your life, the proof is in the pudding. The owner of Burma Superstar decided to bottle and package their mouthwatering tea leaf paste and crunchy toppings because of the through the roof demand (burmalovefoods.com) and you can find out where to buy these on their website. Sadly, they can only deliver to the Bay Area in California. Believe me, I’m in tears too. 

So, if this is so mind blowingly delicious, why is Burma one of the only tea producing countries that also eats the tea leaf? Why not India as well? Why isn’t this paste jarred and sold at my local grocery store? Why isn’t there any in my fridge right now? WHY??? These are questions I will take with me to my grave. 

Restaurant: Burma Superstar

309 Clement St.

San Fransisco, CA 94118

*Sister Restaurant: B Star

127 Clement St.

San Fransisco, 94118

(they had to open another restaurant down the street because it’s THAT GOOD)