Tea Leaf Salad

Lahpet Thoke (Myanmar Tea Leaf Salad)

Myanmar's national dish transforms fermented tea leaves into a tangy, savoury salad tossed with crunchy fried legumes, peanuts and fresh tomato. The tea leaves are the soul of the dish - keep them at room temperature for an hour before mixing so they open up and lose their tinny edge.

Prep

15 min

Cook

15 min

Total

30 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •250 g (9 oz) fermented tea leaves (lahpet), sold in jars or vacuum packs in Asian grocers; substitute with Thai miang kham leaves if unavailable, but the flavour will differ
• •60 g (¼ cup) peanuts, raw, skin on
• •60 g (¼ cup) yellow split peas (chana dal), or split chickpeas, not lentils
• •60 g (¼ cup) dried broad beans (or fava beans), skinless, sold as 'cooked dried broad beans' snack in Asian shops
• •2 tbsp sesame seeds, white
• •4 cloves garlic
• •1 whole (1 medium) tomato, firm, ripe; about 150 g
• •1 whole (1 small) red onion, about 80 g; Burmese cooks use shallots, which are preferable if available
• •2 stalks spring onion, sliced thin, green part only
• •1 whole lime, juiced
• •1.5 tsp fish sauce, Burmese style; or a vegan soy sauce for a vegetarian version
• •1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• •0.5 tsp (½ tsp) salt, or to taste; only needed if fish sauce is mild
• •1 pinch dried chilli flakes, optional, to taste

Steps

1. 1 Tip the fermented tea leaves into a bowl, discarding any large tough stems. Let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour so they soften and aerate - this is a non-negotiable Burmese step.
2. 2 While the leaves rest, prepare the crunchies: heat 2.5 cm of neutral oil in a small heavy pan to 170 °C (340 °F). Fry the peanuts for 3-4 minutes until deep golden and crisp, then drain. Repeat with the yellow split peas, frying for 2-3 minutes until they puff and turn pale gold, then drain. Repeat with the dried broad beans, frying for 1-2 minutes until they split and crisp, then drain. Keep all three separate and let them cool on paper towels.
3. 3 Dry-toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until they pop and smell nutty. Tip out immediately so they don't scorch.
4. 4 Slice the tomato into thin wedges (Burmese cooks do this by hand). Thinly slice the red onion or shallots into half-moons. Slice the spring onion greens thinly.
5. 5 Finely slice or crush the garlic cloves. In a dry pan over low heat, gently dry-fry the garlic with a splash of oil for 2-3 minutes until lightly golden and just cooked (raw garlic is too harsh on the tea leaves).
6. 6 Squeeze excess oil out of the tea leaves by hand, breaking up any clumps so they are loose. Place them in a large mixing bowl.
7. 7 Add the fried peanuts, split peas, broad beans, toasted sesame seeds, cooked garlic, tomato, onion and spring onion to the tea leaves.
8. 8 Dress with fish sauce, lime juice, toasted sesame oil, salt (if using) and chilli flakes. Toss thoroughly with your hands - the Burmese way - for about 1 minute so the leaves bruise slightly and everything is evenly coated.
9. 9 Taste and adjust with more lime or fish sauce. Serve immediately in small bowls at room temperature, ideally with sticky rice on the side. Lahpet thoke does not keep well once dressed; assemble just before eating.