Burmese Tea Leaf Salad

There is a lot of hype about Burma at the moment, and we can see why. It is one of the most wonderful countries we have ever visited, the country is incredibly beautiful, the people are so kind and the food is damn good too. A memory that will last a lifetime is taking a hot air balloon at sunrise over the ancient temples of Bagan, breathtaking. We are teaming up with Lucy’s brother Harry who is the founder of The Lost Tea Company- bringing organic fermented tea salad and green drinking tea straight from the Shan Hills of Burma. He works closely with smallholder farmers to bring tea that is ethically sourced and of the highest quality. Before visiting Burma last year we had never heard about eating fermented tea, but it happens to be one of the national dishes out there. The fermented green tea is jam-packed with antioxidants and probiotics, and a good energy booster. It is traditionally known as ‘Laphet’, (where the name originates from for the very good Burmese pop-up restaurant in East London which we highly recommend) the raw fermented tea and the crunchy beans make up the iconic tea leaf salad found in Burmese cuisine. The locals have been eating this unique food for centuries. We have been experimenting with the fermented tea, coming up with new recipes for soups, salads and fresh summer rolls. This is our favourite salad which is light, crunchy and super tasty which we will be serving this weekend at Druid St Market – come find us! We love Maltby Market, and druid St, filled with so many fantastic stalls selling exciting dishes with a really good buzz. You can buy the tea online, and soon in deli’s around London.

INGREDIENTS

    30g fermented tea leaf

    80g crunchy nut mix

    100g tofu

    Small bunch spring onions, sliced

    ½ fennel, thinly sliced

    ½ cucumber, deseeded and sliced

    handful of sugar snaps

    handful of radishes, sliced

    5cm ginger, peeled, chopped

    10 baby tomatoes, cut into quarters

    1 chili, sliced

    bunch of coriander, chopped

     

    Dressing

    1 tbsp sesame oil

    1 garlic clove crushed

    juice of 2 limes

    squeeze of honey

    1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

    salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the tofu into chunks. Heat a drizzle of oil in a pan and add the tofu, sizzle for a couple of minutes till nice and crispy. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. 2. Whisk the dressing ingredients together. 3. Carefully mix all the salad ingredients together, pour over the dressing and combine. Serve on a pretty platter.