Celebrate the Thingyan New Year Festival with authentic treats including Palata, Coconut Rice, Banana Sanwin Makin and more

Many cultures travel the New Year during this time of the year, Myanmar too dances to its own rhythm, rejoicing in the middle of April with Thingyan – a New Year festivity steeped in rich rituals and vibrant customs. To share this cultural treasure, Burma Burma, an authentic Burmese fine-dining restaurant in the city, is celebrating Thingyan — The Burmese Festival. Drawing from Yangon’s status as a cultural melting pot, where diverse ethnicities converge, the menu captures the essence of the Burmese style of cooking with dishes that showcase the culinary diversity of the area. A standout offering is the ‘Village Set’, a shared meal for two, served on a large, flat cane basket, featuring an array of small plates representing different elements of a typical Burmese meal. We visited the restaurant to try their festive offerings.

We began the meal with a refreshing Sweet Lime & Shallot Salad featuring a wonderful amalgamation of sweet lime, garlic oil, roasted gram flour, lime, shallot, crushed green chillies and peanuts. A drool-worthy Assorted Fries Platter showed a fun trio of Mock Mince Samusa, Sweet Potato Tempura, and Rice Crackers. Right after this, we tried our hands on the Peppery Tofu & Onion Stir Fry. This consisted of slowcooked caramelised onions infused with lemon leaves, soy, and crushed pepper, perfectly complemented by seared tofu chunks. Accompanying this was the Shallow-Fried Palata, a soft, flaky, and layered flatbread. The harmonious pairing of Coconut Rice and Pumpkin & Broad Bean Curry was exceptional. The Coconut Rice, also known as Ohn Hatmin, is a ceremonial dish having fragrant short-grain rice cooked with raisins and onions in fresh coconut milk. The Pumpkin & Broad Bean Curry was cooked with shallots, coconut, and chilli.

We were captivated by the array of unique and authentic sweet delights. The Mont Lone Yay Paw, a traditional Thingyan treat was all about glutinous rice flour dumplings filled with palm jaggery and adorned with shredded coconut. Similarly, the Banana Sanwin Makin, a traditional Bur mesBurmesena cake infused with banana and strawberry, baked in coconut cream and topped with poppy seeds, provided a delightful conclusion to our meal. Additionally, the visually stunning Lemon Poppy Seed Ice Cream, crowned with black poppy seeds, added a refreshing touch to our entire experience. Meanwhile, their specially crafted beverages, including the Twilight Plum Sour and El Dragon, served as perfect accompaniments.

Rs 1,850++ upwards for two.

At Sattva Knowledge City, HITEC City.

The festival will go on till May 19.

Mail ID: sakshisuresh.k@newindianexpress.com

Twitter: @kaithwas_sakshi