Lahpet - Preparation

Preparation

Burmese tea leaf salad (လက်ဖက်သုတ်) is served as two main forms. First is mainly used to serve in ceremonies and is called A-hlu lahpet (အလှူလက်ဖက်, လက်ဖက်သုတ်လူကြီးသုတ် or အဖွားကြီးအိုသုတ်) or Mandalay lahpet. The second one is mostly served with meals and is more popular.

The best tea leaves are selected for fermenting and the rest for drying. They are steamed for about five minutes before either drying or fermenting. Young leaves are packed into bamboo vats set in pits and pressed by heavy weights; the fermentation process is checked at intervals and the pulp may occasionally require re-steaming.

A-hlu lahpet (အလှူလက်ဖက် or လက်ဖက်သုတ်လူကြီးသုတ်) or Mandalay lahpet is served traditionally in a shallow lacquerware dish called lahpet ohk with a lid and divided into small compartments. Pickled tea is laced with sesame oil in a central compartment surrounded, in their own compartments, by other ingredients namely crisp fried garlic, peas and peanuts, toasted sesame, crushed dried shrimp, preserved shredded ginger and fried shredded coconut. A rare treat in Mandalay may be a delicacy, dried and lightly pan-fried, called twin poh — a species of aquatic grub that is found only in a lake in the crater of an extinct volcano called Twindaung near Monywa.

No special occasion or ceremony in Myanmar is considered complete without lahpet. A-hlu means alms and is synonymous with a novitiation ceremony called shinbyu. Lahpet is served in this form at hsun jway (offering a meal to monks) and weddings. Nat (spirit) worship features lahpet offered to the guardian spirits of forests, mountains, rivers and fields. Invitation to a shinbyu is traditionally by calling from door to door with a lahpet ohk, and acceptance is indicated by its partaking.

It may be served as a snack or after a meal holding centre stage on table with green tea; it may be just for the family and visitors. Apart from its bittersweet and pungent taste and leafy texture, many believe in its medicinal properties as beneficial for the digestive system and controlling bile and mucus. Its stimulant effect to ward off tiredness and sleepiness is especially popular with students preparing for exams, pwè goers at all-night theatrical performances, and helpers at funerals who keep watch overnight.

Lahpet thohk (လက်ဖက်သုတ်) or Yangon lahpet is pickled tea salad which is very popular all over Myanmar, especially with women. Some teashops would have it on their menu as well as Burmese restaurants. It is prepared by mixing all the above ingredients without the coconut but in addition includes fresh tomatoes, garlic and green chilli, sometimes shredded cabbage, and is dressed with fish sauce, sesame or peanut oil, and a squeeze of lime. Many would have lahpet together with plain white rice, again a student favourite. This form is traditionally served at the end of every meal.

Some of the most popular brands sold in packets include Ayee Taung lahpet from Mandalay, Shwe Toak from Mogok, Yuzana and Pinpyo Ywetnu from Yangon. Mixed ingredients of fried garlic, peas, peanuts and sesame have become available as Hna-pyan jaw (literally twice fried) for convenience although traditionally they have been sold separately. Ayee Taung has been around for over 100 years and its new recipes such as Shu-shè (extra hot) and Kyetcheini (Red Cross) are quite popular. Zayan lahpet is mixed with carambola (star fruit), and pickled young leaves may be cut together with coarse leaves. Many prefer Mogok lahpet as it uses only young tea leaves.

In Northern Thailand, lahpet thohk can be found at restaurants where Shan ethnic food is served. In Thai, it is called yam miang (ยำเหมียง), from Shan neng yam. Provinces where this can be found include Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son.