Like the title says, this is Burmese fermented green tea which is the basis for making one of the most amazing salads, also known as Laphet Thoke. Prior to trying this for the first time at Little Rangoon in Scottsdale, Arizona, I’d read about it, but the closest place to give it a try was a restaurant in El Monte, California, that had mixed reviews and it closed before we could visit. Finding ourselves in a restaurant that had this delicacy on the menu, it was the first thing we ordered.

Back in 2009, fermented green tea could not be imported to the United States from the military dictatorship of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. People visiting neighboring country Thailand could buy it there though and bring it back to the States. Lucky for us there was enough traffic from the owners and their friends so over the course of the year we were eating at their place, there was never a shortage.

The bulk bags of tea arrived unflavored, this turned out to be very important because as time went by I had the opportunity to try some pre-seasoned products and they were horrible. Once unpacked the leaves would have to be prepared for storage and for use in salads. The first place they ended up was in a mortar so they could be adequately pounded to break up the leaves.

Once mashed up but not yet a paste, they could be stored in a jar with a bit of vegetable oil to keep them moist. After this, they’d be sealed and put in the refrigerator until needed.

Finding this stuff in America was a challenge. Back in 2010, when Little Rangoon closed up shop, the owner Elizabeth gave Caroline and me a full tightly packed quart jar that lasted us about a year. After that, we could on occasion find it at a small shop in Monterey Park, California, but that was hit and miss. Finding it online was impossible. Then around 2016, I finally ordered some online but it had to be shipped from the United Kingdom; not a cheap way to get a few small packets. Just two years ago in 2018, while on a hunting expedition in one of our local Asian stores, I found it on the shelf. St. Albert Tea Flower is how it’s labeled and for about $10 a bottle, I get nearly 11 ounces of fermented green tea. Compared to $20 for 8 ounces on Amazon, it’s quite the bargain. Now, if I were living somewhere I couldn’t buy this essential ingredient locally, I’d jump at the chance to pay $20 for 8 ounces.

Once you find fermented green tea your job is not done yet as some of the other ingredients can be equally difficult to find in the United States. In the bottom center of this photo of plated ingredients to mix up a Laphet Thoke (Green Tea Salad) is smoked dried shrimp. I’ve used dried crawfish as a substitute which works well but what I really want are the smoke shrimp. There is a product available here but it’s pricey with just 8 ounces costing $15 and the shipping is roughly the same amount so be prepared. It’s called Naz African Smoked Shrimps and can be found by clicking here.

Please notice the crispy garlic, peanuts, sesame seeds, and beans. In Burma, you’d make your own and I suspect that the kitchen staff made what was used in the restaurant but I never inquired as Elizabeth gave me enough to last a good long time; well, until we ran out. Not only was our inventory depleted, but what do you ask for when calling someone a state away trying to explain how you needed the crunchy/crispy stuff for Laphet Thoke that you are certainly butchering the pronunciation of? These days, I just go to Amazon and order ပင္ပိ်ဳရြက္ႏု ပဲႏွစ္ျပန္ေႀကာ္ and I’m all set. That, for those who don’t read Burmese, is also known as Crispy Mixed Beans and can be found clicking here.

Time to make the salad.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp Fermented green tea
• 3-4 Tbsp Mixed crispy beans
• 1/2 Sliced hard-boiled egg
• 1/2 Diced Roma tomato
• 1 cup Shredded cabbage (Little Rangoon didn’t use this much)
• 1/2 Tsp Smoked shrimp powder
• 1/2 – 1 Tsp Fish sauce
• 1 – 2 Tbsp Peanut oil (or your choice)

Now mix it all together and serve with a side of steamed rice. For me, no Burmese salad would be complete without some Thai Bird’s Eye chilies to accompany the dish. Because they are not always easy to find I buy a lot when I find them, dice them into thin rounds, and freeze them. When I need some I pull them from the cold and throw them into a small ramekin with extra fish sauce (this from a guy that doesn’t like fishy flavors). A word of warning, if you’ve never used dried shrimp or fish sauce you are in for a rude surprise as I for one have never grown accustomed to their pungent stench but like the worst smelling washed rind cheeses, they add something undeniably perfect to the flavor profile of a dish and so I must endure.