Southeast Asian · Lunch · Dinner · Snack
Burmese Fermented Tea Leaf Salad
လက်ဖက်သုပ် (Lahpet Thoke)
A bright, crunchy Burmese salad of tangy fermented tea leaves tossed with crisp cabbage, juicy tomato, toasted nuts and garlic chips, sharpened with lime and chilli. This lighter version uses dry-roasted peanuts and just a spoonful of oil for the garlic.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Total
- 28 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 28% · Fat 56% · Protein 16%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1/3 cup60 gFermented tea leaves (lahpet) packed in oil, store-bought, excess oil drained
- 3 cups250 gGreen cabbage, finely shredded
- 2 medium240 gTomatoes
- 6 cloves18 gGarlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp14 gPeanut oil
- 1/4 cup40 gDry-roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1/4 cup30 gCrispy fried broad beans (store-bought, salted)
- 1 tbsp9 gSesame seeds
- 2 tbsp15 gDried shrimp
- 1 small5 gGreen chilli, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp (about 1 lime)30 gLime juice
- 1 tbsp18 gFish sauce
- small handful5 gFresh coriander leaves (optional)
Steps
- 1
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until golden; tip onto a plate.
- 2
Add the peanut oil and sliced garlic to the same pan over low heat and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until pale golden.
- 3
Lift the garlic chips onto paper towel to crisp, and pour the garlic oil into a small bowl.
- 4
Roughly chop or pound the dried shrimp into coarse flakes.
- 5
Finely shred the cabbage, cut the tomatoes into thin wedges and slice the chilli.
- 6
Tip the tea leaves into a small sieve and let the excess packing oil drain away.
- 7
If the tea leaves are coarse, chop them finely, then mix them with the garlic oil, lime juice and fish sauce.
- 8
Arrange the cabbage, tomato, dressed tea leaves, peanuts, fried broad beans, sesame seeds, dried shrimp, garlic chips and chilli in separate piles on a platter.
- 9
Toss everything together at the table just before eating so the crunchy toppings stay crisp, and scatter with coriander if using.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- For a vegetarian version, leave out the dried shrimp and replace the fish sauce with light soy sauce or tamari, plus an extra squeeze of lime.
- If you can't find crispy fried broad beans, use roasted chickpeas or extra dry-roasted peanuts for crunch.
- Swap the dried shrimp for toasted sunflower seeds if you need a shellfish-free plate, and check the fish sauce and tea leaf labels, as some brands contain shrimp.
- Use a red chilli instead of green, or leave the chilli out entirely for a milder salad.
Storage
This salad is best eaten fresh once tossed, because the cabbage softens and the toppings lose their crunch; refrigerate any mixed leftovers within 2 hours and eat within a day. Do not freeze.
Make ahead
Toast the sesame seeds and fry the garlic chips up to 3 days ahead and keep them in an airtight container at room temperature, and shred the cabbage a day ahead and refrigerate it in a sealed container. Dress the tea leaves and assemble just before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: PeanutsSesameCrustaceansFish
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (182 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 213 kcal | 117 kcal |
| Protein | 9.4 g | 5.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 15.7 g | 8.6 g |
| of which sugars | 4.8 g | 2.6 g |
| Fiber | 4.3 g | 2.4 g |
| Fat | 14 g | 7.7 g |
| of which saturated | 2.1 g | 1.2 g |
| Sodium | 583 mg | 320 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
