"The Best Food Tour in Yangon"

Recently Amber and Ben from Ayinsa based down in the south of Myanmar, Dawei, joined us on a evening food tour and here's what they had to say: 

The best food tour in Yangon

August 10, 2017

Last time we were in Yangon, the Ayinsa team had the absolute pleasure of taking a street food tour with Saba Street Food Tours. Ayinsa has been on many food tours in cities all around the world and very few come close to our experience with Sa Ba.

If you're looking for an insight into the food and culture of Yangonites, then Sa Ba Street Food Tours are the way to go. 

 We kicked off the evening tour around 5.30pm with a quick snack on some lotus seeds (pictured). None of us had ever tried them before. Their flavour is subtle and tart all at the same time with a pleasant aftertaste that lingers. A great healthy snack for any time of day.  

From their the tour was a whirlwind of flavours, tastes and experiences that we simply could not have managed on our own. And that's the point of paying for a tour right? To have an experience that you couldn't replicate yourself. Sa Ba delivers this in spades. They know every nook and cranny of Yangon. From the best mohinga stall in Yangon to where to find the most delectable Indian desserts in downtown. We sampled more than 15 different snacks and meals. Pro tip - make sure you arrive with an empty stomach. 

The most insightful part of the tour was the huge amount of knowledge that the Sa Ba guys had on every aspect of food, street life, culture and history. They simply opened our eyes to a Yangon that we didn't know existed.

Any great tour exceeds expectations - and for us, it was the little things that took this tour from good to great. 

https://www.ayinsa.com/single-post/2017/08/10/Best-food-tour-in-Yangon

Tasty and Easy Shan Noodle Recipe

Shan noodle recipe - Easy to make Myanmar (Burmese) dishes.

Serves 4

Takes about 30mins

Ingredients

  • Vermicelli rice noodles
  • 4 chicken thighs with the bone
  • 10 ripe red whole tomatoes
  • 5 cloves of garlic (3 cloves minced)
  • 2 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 inch nugget of ginger
  • 1 onion minced
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Garnish with:

  • Spring onion greens thinly sliced
  • 8 tablespoons of crushed peanuts

First fill a cooking pot with about 2 litres of water, add the chicken thighs, 2 whole cloves of garlic, nugget of ginger and boil.

Then add the whole tomatoes to separate pot, cover with water and simmer for about 10 mins or until the skins become loose and easy to peel (this is the secret to a sweet and rich tomato sauce without relying on lots of sugar). Carefully remove tomatoes from water and set aside to cool.

Once the chicken loosens from the bone, lift them from the water and put aside to cool (keep the water-we'll use this for soup). Pull the meat from the bones and dice meat roughly. Now put the bones back into the water along with the nugget of ginger, 2 cloves garlic, and continue to boil (add more water if necessary), salt and pepper to taste – here is your soup.

For the tomato sauce:

Pull of the skins and crush tomatoes with a fork in a bowl.

Heat pan, add all the oils and gently fry minced garlic, onion, and ginger with fish and soy sauce. Add the tomatoes, sugar and simmer until the tomato sauce is rich and thick (add a little water to help it stew but not too watery).

Add rice noodles to boiling water until limp then divide between bowls. Spoon tomato sauce on top, followed by the chicken then garnish with spring onion greens and crushed peanuts.

Strain the soup and serve as a side dish. Pickled mustard greens or kimchi and dried chilli make a perfect accompaniment.

Le petit déjeuner dans les troquets de rue à Rangoun

Salut tout le monde! Pour les francophones parmi nous, voici un article paru dans Le petit journal sur notre Rangoun tour pour le petit-dejeuner

For the French speakers among us, take a look at this article in le Petit Journal by a journalist who recently joined our breakfast walking tour.

http://www.lepetitjournal.com/birmanie/sortir/284297-j-ai-teste-pour-vous-le-petit-dejeuner-dans-les-troquets-de-rues-a-rangoun-des-saveurs-de-tous-les-coins-d-asie

One world, many flavours, similar tastes

Yesterday we had guests from Sweden, Brazil and Australia all on the same tour and it was fascinating sharing food and travel stories. Although the guests had just arrived in Yangon and never experienced Myanmar food before they were pleased to see similarities between their home cuisines here and there. It turns out people in Brazil love the infamous durian fruit just as much as the Burmese. The Swedes were impressed with the local approach to fish and the many ways it can be prepared, cooked and preserved - similar to the Swedish respect for fish.

Not technically a food but the local beetlenut which many people here chew on to provide a little buzz of stimulation also isn't too dissimilar to the little parcels of Swedish snus. Although no one on the tour seems likely to take up the beetlenut habit.

Approaching Sule Pagoda on the evening street food tour

Approaching Sule Pagoda on the evening street food tour

Thanks to Tash for sharing some photos from the night.

 

 

Deep in discussion

Deep in discussion

Snapshots of Yangon from a foodie

Thanks to Ian from California who came along on an evening tour and got these great shots.