List of ingredients in Burmese cuisine facts for kids
The following is a list of ingredients used in Burmese cuisine. Burmese food uses a huge variety of vegetables and fruits. Because of influences from India and China, many Burmese dishes have more different ingredients than Indian or Chinese meals.
Burmese ingredients are often very fresh. Many dishes mix fruits with vegetables. People in Myanmar eat a wide range of vegetables, fruits, and many kinds of meat.
Contents
Herbs and Spices
Herbs and spices add amazing flavors to Burmese food. They can be fresh or dried.
Fresh Herbs and Spices
These are used fresh to give a strong, bright taste:
- Sweet basil
- Cha-om (Acacia pennata leaves)
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Chili (both green and dried)
- Chinese chives
- Galangal (a root like ginger)
- Green onions
- Coriander / cilantro
- Curry leaf
- Lemongrass
- Kaffir lime leaves
- Mint
- Mustard leaf
- Onion
- Pandan (a fragrant leaf)
- Black pepper
- Tamarind (a sour fruit)
- Senegalia rugata (a sour leaf)
Dried Herbs and Spices
Dried spices are often ground into powders or used whole:
- Aniseed
- Bay leaf
- Black cumin
- Cardamom
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Cumin
- Five spice powder (a mix of five spices)
- Masala (a mix of ground spices)
- Paprika (for color and mild heat)
- Peanut
- Perilla seed
- Poppy seed
- Sesame seeds
- Turmeric (gives a yellow color)
Pastes, Sauces, and Condiments
These ingredients add deep, savory flavors to Burmese dishes.
- Ngapi (fermented fish paste) - This is a very important ingredient in Burmese cooking.
- Fish sauce (a salty liquid from fermented fish)
- Pon ye gyi (a fermented bean paste)
- Pe ngapi (fermented soybean paste)
- Fermented bean sprouts
- Fermented sesame cake
- Fish paste
- Fermented bean cake
- Shrimp paste, also called belacan
- Soy sauce
Vegetables
Burmese food uses many different vegetables, often fresh and seasonal.
- Asiatic pennywort
- asparagus
- Bean sprouts
- Bitter gourd
- Cabbage
- Carrot
- Cauliflower
- Chayote
- Chinese cabbage
- Cucumber
- Daikon or white radish (also pickled)
- Drumstick (from the Moringa oleifera tree)
- Eggplant
- Gourd (and its young vine)
- Green bean
- Gai lan (Chinese broccoli)
- Lettuce
- Mustard greens (also pickled)
- Haricot bean
- Neem leaves (a bit bitter)
- Okra, also called lady's finger
- Oroxylum_indicum, Indian Trumpet fruit
- Potato
- Pumpkin
- Ridged gourd
- Roselle leaves (sour leaves)
- Snake gourd
- Spring onions
- Sesbania grandiflora (a type of flower)
- Tindora
- Tomato
- Water spinach
- Winter melon
Lentils
Lentils and beans are a big part of Burmese meals, often used in soups or as snacks.
- Black-eyed pea
- Butter bean
- Chickpea
- Chickpea flour (used to make snacks)
- Lablab bean
- Lentils
- Urad dal (black lentil)
- Winged bean
Roots
Roots are underground parts of plants that store nutrients.
- Bamboo shoot
- Banana stem
- Chinese chive roots
- Jicama (a crunchy root vegetable)
- Sweet potato
- Taro corn
Pickles
Pickles are fermented foods that have a sour taste.
- Sour fermented bamboo shoot
- Sour fermented green mango (pressed)
Oils
Oils are used for cooking and to dress salads, adding richness and flavor.
- Chili oil (spicy oil)
- Si-Chet (toasted peanut oil, often used on salads)
- Peanut oil
- Sesame oil
Staple Foods and Other Starches
These are the main parts of many Burmese meals, providing energy.
- Paw hsan hmwe (a type of fragrant rice)
- Glutinous rice (sticky rice), including a purple kind
- Rice flour
- Glutinous rice flour (sticky rice flour)
- Semolina (a type of flour from wheat)
Edible Fungi
Mushrooms are used in many dishes for their unique taste and texture.
- Mushrooms
- Dried tree fungi
- Wood ear (a type of mushroom)
Fruits and Nuts
Fruits are eaten fresh, used in savory dishes, or made into snacks.
- Coconut
- Djenkol (a type of bean)
- Kaffir lime
- Lime
- Luffa (a type of gourd)
- Mango (both green and ripe)
- Santol
- Myanma grape
- Soap nut
- Water chestnut
- Rambutan
- Betel-nut
- Pomelo
- Star fruit
- Rose apple
- Persimmon
- Avocado
- Palm fruit
- Durian
- Jack fruit
- Almond
- Guava
- Mangosteen
- Papaya
- Wood apple
- Sugar apple
Meat and Poultry
Meat and poultry are common in Burmese cuisine, often cooked in curries or stir-fries.
- Beef
- Chicken
- Duck
- Chicken, duck, or quail eggs
- Goat / Mutton (sheep meat)
- Pork
- Venison (meat from wild animals)
Fish and Seafood
Myanmar is close to the sea, so fish and seafood are very popular.
- Barramundi
- Catfish
- Daggertooth pike conger (a type of eel)
- Eel
- Hilsa (a type of herring)
- Mahseer (a type of carp)
- Mudfish
- Bronze featherback
- Rohu (a type of carp)
- Mrigal (another type of carp)
- Prawn
- Snapper
Processed Seafood Products
These seafood products are preserved to last longer and add unique flavors.
- Bombay duck (a dried fish)
- Dried fish
- Dried shrimp
- Salted fish
- Ngachin (pickled fish, fermented and pressed)
- Pickled shrimp (fermented and pressed)
See also
- Cuisine of Myanmar
