Even if most people don’t quite know what to expect from Burmese food and even if Myanmar is not really known for its cuisine, the meals were tasty, plentiful and, best of all, vegetarian friendly. Perched between such great food nations like India, Thailand and China, their influences could be noticed in the local dishes, but Myanmar still had its very own taste and flavors. Especially the whole range of hand mixed noodle salads, fermented tea leaf dishes and liquid tofu noodles seem not only distinctive but actually unparalleled in the food world.
The meals were, particularly in Shan style restaurants, simply ordered as vegetable dishes with rice, but they were usually served with other complementary sides like fresh greens, soup, sauce and even tea. Also very common were local restaurants serving pre-cooked meals in buffet style, making it very convenient for vegetarians to choose four vegetable dishes that were normally included in one order of rice. All these meal options of Burmese food were supplemented by the many tasty noodle dishes that Myanmar has to offer. Some of them were ordered wet with soup, some were completely dry, while others came with soup on the side, to be added according to preference.
But the entire cuisine of Myanmar seemed to be summed up by the unofficial national dish that seemed to unite the entire country in a culinary sense, Mohinga. This rice noodle dish in fish broth was, technically speaking, not truly vegetarian, but it certainly was the most popular breakfast dish throughout the nation and a very tasty way to start the day in proper Myanmar style.
Tip: All restaurants and even street stalls offer complimentary green tea with every meal. Since the tea is boiled, it’s not only safe to drink, but it’s also providing a great way to save money and spare the environment of more plastic bottles!
Burmese Vegetarian Meals
Shan Style Restaurants
Vegetarian Meal with a Tray of Fresh Greens in Pyin Oo Lwin
A simple rice and vegetable order in a local restaurant in Pyin Oo Lwin translated into this feast of four different vegetables with soup, sauce, rice and a whole tray of fresh greens. But best of all, this entire meal had cost about a dollar and change, making this delicious meal choice a really great value.
Big Meal including a Pot of Vegetable Soup in Shwebo
This big meal in Shwebo included different types of vegetables, scrambled egg with tomato, a huge bowl of vegetable soup, white rice, roasted peanuts, some fresh greens and the optional fermented fish paste.
Home Cooked Meals
Great Home Cooked Vegetarian Meal in Pankam Village
After hiking to the Palaung Village Pankam we were served a really delicious home cooked vegetarian meal by our host mother. It included a potato dish, vegetables, greens in a soup, white rice, crisps and some freshly made spicy salsa.
Home Cooked Lunch of Different tasty Vegetable Dishes in Shwebo
After accepting a kind lunch invitation by a local family in Shwebo, we had a really tasty vegetarian meal that included sautéed mushrooms, fried tofu, scrambled egg, different vegetable dishes, white rice and fresh fruits for desert.
Restaurants with a Buffet
Buffet Style Vegetable Meal on separate Plates in Katha
The restaurants in the small village of Katha served buffet style meals where two vegetable dishes could be chosen and they were served with a plate of rice, complementary soup, different sauces and some greens.
Shan Food Rice Plate with four different Vegetables in Mandalay
Rice plate meal with four different vegetables from a buffet style restaurant in Mandalay. Three of the vegetables were cooked, while one was a tasty pickled green vegetable salad. The meal was served with soup, sauce and tea.
Buffet Style Rice Plate with Firm Yellow Tofu in Mandalay
A different rice plate meal with two green vegetables, cooked bamboo and a very firm yellow tofu. Everything was served with a vegetable soup at a buffet style restaurant in Mandalay.
Tip: Shan style vegetarian meals provided by far the best value for the money. If they were offered as buffet or served at the table, they always came with many complementary side dishes, turning every single meal into a culinary feast.
Different Noodle Dishes
Noodles in Flavored Broth
Traditional Mohinga Breakfast Soup with Noodles in Fish Broth
The national breakfast dish called Mohinga came in many different varieties, but it was usually cooked in fish sauce with ginger, garlic, banana stem, lemon grass, whole onions and served over skinny rice noodles. While this otherwise vegetarian dish was cooked in fish broth, it didn’t contain any fish and it actually didn’t even taste fishy. The title photo shows a slightly different interpretation of Mohinga.
Liquid Tofu Noodles with Peanuts and Fried Toppings
Shan noodles with delicious liquid yellow tofu. The tofu was made out of yellow split-peas instead of soybeans and this unusual dish was served with peanuts, fried toppings and pickled vegetables. Interpretations of this dish varied by region.
Clear Broth Noodles
Big Stone Pot of Special Shan Noodle Soup with Tofu in Kalaw
This big stone pot of Shan noodle soup in Kalaw was cooked with different types of noodles, many chopped vegetables, some firm white tofu and fried toppings.
Simple Shan Noodle Soup with Clear Broth and Lemon in Hsipaw
A very simple yet delicious vegetarian Shan noodle soup from a small local shack in Hsipaw. It was served in a clear broth with fresh lemon and fiery chili paste.
Dry Noodles
Shan Noodles with Herbs and Peanuts in Kalaw
This bowl of dry Shan noodles came with a clear soup on the side, pickled veggies, different herbs and crushed peanuts, It was garnished with leafy greens and served while waiting for the Nyaungshwe bus.
Hand Mixed Noodle Salad with Tofu on the Streets of Yangon
Hand mixed noodle salad from the streets of Yangon. It was prepared with four types of different noodles, two types of tofu, chick pea powder, fried onions and a hint of fish sauce.
Tip: Noodle salads and the wide range of tea leaf or other salads are very popular in Myanmar, but a word of caution needs to be said. As tasty as these salads look, they are raw food and mixed with bare hands. If you really want to try them, do so at the end the end of your trip to Myanmar, not at the beginning!
Have you tasted Burmese food before? Which dish would you like to try?
Looks fabulous. Yet another reason to add Myanmar to my bucket list!
Thank you Karen! Yeah, Myanmar is definitely well worth to have on the bucket list, not only for the delicious Burmese food. But the whole country is undergoing rapid changes these days, so it might be a good idea to visit rather sooner than later…
No wonder I hear so many people starting to buzz about Myanmar– the food looks fantastic as well! Hungry now
Thanks Susan, the Burmese food not only looks fantastic, it also tastes great…
The buzz you are hearing is probably due to the recent changes since Myanmar seems to be opening up more to tourism. In 2013 some land borders opened, ATMs started appearing and even money changing has become a breeze. So, it’s the perfect time to go… 😉
Yum! Thanks for showing me the food of Myanmar. Looking at the noodles has made me hungry!
Hi Tawanna, I am glad you enjoyed seeing some of the tasty that food that Myanmar has to offer. As much as I like eating rice, I have to agree with you, you can’t beat the noodle dishes, especially the liquid tofu and the noodle salad…
Myanmar was such an amazing country to visit, the people are incredible. I particularly loved the indian influence in food around Yangon, even more vegetarian friendly. And veggie samosas at Kalaw station as we passed through on the train made a great snack.
I find the fish stock/sauce/shrimpy stuff to be quite a problem as a travelling vegetarian, just the smell unfortunately puts me off. It’s a shame.
I had an amazing tomato salad with peanut sauce, that was a particular Burmese highlight for me!
Rachel Davis recently posted…Walking among the Dragon’s Back Bone Rice Terraces
You are right Rachel, Myanmar definitely is a great country to visit! Luckily the fish sauce doesn’t bother me, otherwise I couldn’t even eat any curry dish in Thailand as well which would be quite a shame. But it was definitely great that vegetarian food could be found everywhere in Myanmar and best of all, it was always tasty. I must have missed the tomato peanut salad, but I will make sure to try it next time around…
Mmmm everything looks so good, especially the noodle dishes! Noodles are probably my favorite foods on earth, so I know I would be in heaven in any SE Asia county. Even though I like meat, I’d eat all of these Myanmar foods! That picture of the dried Shan noodle with herbs looks especially yummy!
Anna | slightly stray recently posted…A Mother’s Day Story (and why I write)
You are definitely right Anna, as much as I like rice, I still prefer noodles! Those Shan noodles were actually really great and I couldn’t even resist of ordering a second bowl, simply because it was such tasty food…
I am not great at trying new and different foods, but I try to explore more when I am traveling to get the true experience. Looks like you were able to dive right in!
Angela Travels recently posted…Milford Sound – A Photo Essay
Definitely Angela, the food is always a great part of my travel experience and I can only recommend to try as much as possible. No worries, all the food in Myanmar was actually really tasty anyway…
I’m not vegetarian, but I love eating healthy food throughout my day when travelling. I love buffet style meals where you can pick up some vegetable dishes served with a plate of rice, complementary soup, different sauces and some greens! They all look so yummy so I would have a tough decision to make!!
Agness recently posted…Breakdown Of Our Costs In Singapore
Agness, the great thing is that you don’t even have to make a decision, you can eat all of the great food that is on the table! Well, at least you can try. But all the food I had in Myanmar was so delicious, you wouldn’t even need to be a vegetarian to enjoy it…
Looks fabulous! You’re right – we don’t tend to know much about Burmese food (in fact the whole country has fallen under the radar for some due to its history) and look at the variety there is! Wonderful fusion of different influences.
Bronwyn Joy recently posted…Guess Who’s Going To Phuket?
You are right Bronwyn, when I arrived in Myanmar I had no idea what expect from the local cuisine and that was mainly because I never had any Burmese food before. But this interesting fusion turned out to result in some really unique dishes and all of them were actually really tasty…
Nice collection. I am sharing this =)
Thanks, I am glad that you like this collection of tasty vegetarian food from Myanmar…
That is a significant selection of vegetarian food. Whilst I do eat meat I am intrigued by vegetarian food, it always seems very creative.
I do wonder if this choice of food is because (like China) in the past people could not afford meat so ate vegetables.
Overall this makes Myanmar an appealing and welcoming destination for vegetarians.
The Guy recently posted…LAN Airlines Review Of Economy Class
I am sure that you could get a lot of these dishes with meat also, but the vegetarian food was so great in Myanmar, you probably wouldn’t even miss it. On a general note, when I ask my parents how they grew up in Germany they would tell me that they had a piece of meat once a week, on a Sunday. I think what we do nowadays is not a good thing, having meat available every day and for every meal is not natural anymore. But coming back to Myanmar, it’s actually a deeply rooted Buddhist county and if you were to follow the teachings of the Buddha closely, you would have to live as vegetarian and harm no sentient beings…
This post surprised me both in that Burma would have some type of food scene and that all of it is vegetarian and looks great!
Corinne recently posted…Instagramming Croatia
Myanmar actually has a very distinct cuisine, but I have to admit that I didn’t know that either Corinne. There is obviously other food available in Myanmar, but it was a pleasant surprise to see how easy it was to travel around as vegetarian…
I love Asian food, and the food in Myanmar seems not to disappoint either. Would love to taste that freshly made spicy salsa. And Mohinga sounds like a perfect meal (and it’s only a breakfast?!). It’s great to have an opportunity to eat with locals in their house. Are you a vegeterian yourself? I’ve been vegeterian for 10 years, and although I eat meat now, I still prefer the veggies.
frankaboutcroatia recently posted…Dubrovnik Pictures: experience Dubrovnik from the sea
You are right Frank, the food in Myanmar was definitely not disappointing and especially the freshly made, home cooked dishes were amazing! Yeah, I have been a vegetarian for the past three years, although I have to admit that I do eat fish sometimes. So fish sauce in Thai curries or here in Mohinga didn’t really bother me too much. But from what I have experienced, it was only breakfast food. People would cook it in big post on the street in the early morning and by mid day it was long gone…
Reading through this list I can see so many elements of Chinese cooking. Tomato and egg? That was my favorite dish growing up as a kid. It looks slightly different – a lot drier than what my mother served up. Pickled green veggies? Love that stuff. Even the noodles look familiar and completely delicious. I think I would do okay with the food in Myanmar if I were to visit. I’m hungry now.
Adelina | PackMeTo recently posted…Travel Memories With Mom
Adelina, I didn’t know that tomato and egg would be a Chines dish as well. But the noodles definitely come originally from China and they are still served with chopsticks which is quite a nice touch I think. While the Indian influence is also prevalent in the food in Myanmar, I found the most graphic example when having a tea. If you order a sweet milk tea, the equivalent to chai in India, you also get Chinese green tea with it, I thought that was quite funny…
I’m no vegetarian but yum! I’ll be going to Myanmar soon and will definitely have to try these out for myself! Thanks for linking up to the #SundayTraveler!
Ashley @ A Southern Gypsy recently posted…Meet the Gypsies : Samantha and Yeison of My Tan Feet
It’s great to hear that you are going to Myanmar soon Ashley! Definitely make sure to try some of the great vegetarian food there, I am sure you will love it…
This food looks AMAZING! It is great to see that Myanmar is so vegetarian-friendly – another great reason to visit! Thank you for posting all of the great photos and advice.
Lauren recently posted…Travel Blogger Thursday: Dave of Cook Sip Go
Thanks Lauren, the food actually was amazing in Myanmar! I didn’t really know what to expect when I went, but luckily I found a lot of vegetarian options and best of all, they were all really delicious…
I love the looks of these dishes. We absolutely loved the food of Thailand, so now I want to try the food of Thailand’s neighbors, including Myanmar.
Katherine Belarmino recently posted…10 Top Copenhagen Experiences
Katherine, unfortunately nothing really beats the food of Thailand, besides India maybe
But in terms of direct neighbors, Myanmar definitely had one of the best cuisines and a lot of interesting dishes to try out. I am sure you would like the food as well.. 
So varied and so good!
One of my favourite dishes… pumpkin curry!
I am doing a book about Myanmar Food by Myanmar People and a friend cooked this for me. It was delicious!
Juan – Myanmar Travel Essentials recently posted…NEED Eco Village Foundation in Myanmar
That sounds indeed delicious, Juan! But overall I can say that all the vegetarian food I tasted in Myanmar was really delicious and well worth a try. Good luck with your book, I am sure you will have a tasty time putting it together…
Thanks Dennis! It’s not easy to work with all my food photography… I get so hungry! 😉
Juan – Myanmar Travel Essentials recently posted…Falooda, the most popular dessert in Myanmar?
That is totally understood Juan, Myanmar food is definitely delicious…