Mont di facts for kids
Rakhine mont di fish soup with garnish
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| Alternative names | Mont ti |
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| Course | Breakfast, Lunch |
| Place of origin | Myanmar |
| Region or state | Various, inc. Rakhine State, Mandalay Region |
| Associated national cuisine | Burmese cuisine |
| Main ingredients | for Rakhine variant only: rice vermicelli, any white fish (mostly Daggertooth blade conger), ngapi, lemongrass, pepper, garlic, red chili sauce, green chili paste, crisp garlic garnish, coriander |
| Variations | Many; see list below |
| Similar dishes | Khanom chin |
Mont di is a popular type of food from Myanmar. It's a general name for many dishes made with thin rice noodles. These noodles are always used fresh. This is because they can spoil quickly in Myanmar's warm weather.
There are many kinds of mont di dishes. The most famous one is Rakhine mont di from western Myanmar. Mandalay mont di is also very well-known. Some other noodle dishes, like mohinga from Mawlamyaing, are sometimes also called "mont di."
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Delicious Mont di Dishes
All types of mont di are often served with Burmese fritters. These are crispy fried snacks. You can choose your favorite kind to go with your noodles.
Rakhine Mont di: Soup or Salad?
Rakhine mont di is the most popular mont di dish. It comes from the Rakhine people in Myanmar. This dish is a main food in Rakhine State. You can enjoy it in two ways: as a soup or as a salad.
The soup version is the most common. Thin rice noodles are mixed into a light soup. This soup is made from a type of fish called daggertooth pike conger. It also has a special fish paste called Rakhine ngapi and lemongrass. People add crispy fried onion and garlic, fresh coriander, and spicy red and green chili paste. Because of the green chili paste, it's sometimes called arpu sharpu. This means "hot throat, hot tongue"! Some people also add fried fish cakes or pork rinds.
The dry salad version uses the same ingredients. They are all mixed together to make a colorful dish. The green chili paste gives the white noodles a slightly green color.
Mandalay Mont di: A Meat Lover's Noodle
Mandalay mont di is also known as nan gyi thoke. It's quite different from Rakhine mont di. Since Mandalay is in the middle of Myanmar, far from the sea, this dish uses meat instead of fish.
It uses thick, round rice noodles called nan gyi. The meat is cooked into a tasty sauce. This sauce is then mixed with the noodles like a salad. Many traditional shops use chickpea flour and special oils. These ingredients give it a unique Mandalay flavor. Most mont di shops will prepare your dish just how you like it. They can even mix it for you!
Dawei Mont di: Sweet and Savory
Dawei mont di is a special dish from Dawei in Southern Myanmar. It's also known as Dawei mont let thoke. This dish features threadfin fish or catfish. These are boiled in fermented toddy palm juice and coconut milk. It's served with rice vermicelli noodles. The dish is topped with hand-crushed murukku, which are crunchy, savory snacks.
Khotaung Mont di: A Village Favorite
Khotaung mont di is a famous noodle salad. It comes from a small village called Khotaung in Sagaing Region. This salad uses thick rice noodles, similar to those in nan gyi thoke. It also has fish balls.
The noodles and fish balls are mixed with chopped cabbage, green beans, and pickled radish. Chickpea flour and garlic oil are also added. You can choose extra toppings like Burmese fritters, a fruit called jengkol, and fish cake. This dish usually comes with a light soup. The soup is made from fish balls and fish heads.
The story of this dish goes back to the Konbaung dynasty. One queen, who was expecting a baby, wanted to eat worms. The villagers of Khotaung made thick rice noodles with garlic oil. This dish looked like worms, and it became Khotaung mont di.
Taungoo Mont di: A Broth Delight
Taungoo mont di is a special food from the town of Taungoo. It's a rice vermicelli salad. It's served with a thin mohinga broth. Fresh tomatoes and green beans are added. You'll also find chickpea fritters and fried garlic on top.
Yangon Mont di: A Touch of Oil
Yangon mont di is very much like the Rakhine mont di. The main difference is that oil is added to the salad. This shows how much people in Myanmar enjoy a slightly oily texture in their food.
Yodaya Mont di: Thai-Inspired Noodles
In the 1700s, many people from the Ayutthaya Kingdom came to Mandalay. This led to new dishes being created, like Yodaya mont di. The name means "Ayutthayan mont ti."
This noodle dish uses fish instead of chicken. The rice noodles are thin and curled, like Thai khanom chin noodles. They are tossed in oil that has turmeric in it. The dish is served with fried onions and raw green beans. In Mandalay's Minthazu ward, you can find a special version. It has bean flour, dried shrimps, and a thicker gravy.
