You can get this salad at Bo Kyoke Market in Yangon, Myanmar. Crispy and delicious!

Naomi Aung gives us the details and a translation of the recipe from this website.

Pazon Khwat Gyaw Thoke is a crispy nest of bean sprouts with shrimps on top. Make the salad with noodles and a sweet & sour & hot dressing. Comes with a hot clear soup. Very good, and you’ll even be full as if you’d had dinner 🙂

Pazon (pawn/shrimp) Khwat (cup) Gyaw (fried). It is Pazon Khwat Gyaw. If it is salad, it is Pazon Khwat Gyaw Thoke. The salad usually has shredded cabbage and cucumber.

Recipe translated from http://wesheme.blogspot.com

• 1 lb (1/2 kg) of prawns/shrimps
• 1.5 lb (650-700g) bean sprouts (side note: thin bean sprouts from mung beans, not soy bean sprouts)
• 1 pk of tempura mix*
• 1 onion
• Add a pinch of salt
• Mix with water. (Naomi’s side note: Be careful about adding water. You can add more water later. Mixture should not be too thin.)
• * – if tempura mix is not available, mix 3/4c bean (chickpea) flour and 1/4c of a 3:1 mixture of rice powder and sticky rice powder. (Naomi’s side note: it is a good idea to add a bit of baking soda if you are not using premixed tempura)

Method:
Let dry the bean sprouts after cleansing. Thinly slice one red onion. You can use either cooked or raw shrimps. If raw, clean them and pat dry.

The pros use a slotted ladle which you can use if available. If not, use a small plate to make a nest of a handful of bean sprouts, a few pieces of sliced onion mixed with the tempura mixture. Add one or two shrimps on top. Slide it into hot oil and to fry until golden brown. Turn each side to get nice and crispy. Removed from pan and (soak excess oils with paper towel). Nice photos can be seen on the website the recipe was translated from.

For Dipping Sauce/Dressing:
Clean a handful of tamarind with hot water pour over boiling water, cover and let sit a couple minutes and allow to cool. Make a paste and remove the seeds. (Naomi’s side note: you can use tamarind concentrate from Asian groceries and this is one of many brands: ). Add garlic chili oil. The amount should be 1/3 of tamarind concentrate. Add chopped garlic, sliced cilantro or coriander, a little bit of sugar and two spoonful of fish sauce. (Naomi’s note: not mentioned what kind of spoon!).

To make salad:
Boil vermicelli and let dry. When it is cool, mix it with a little bit of thick soy sauce and oil. Add a thinly sliced cucumber and cabbage into the cut crispy nest bean sprout and a generous amount of dressing to make the salad.

Naomi’s last side note: If you can’t find tamarind paste, you may use balsamic vinegar. I have stomach ulcer and I can’t use vinegar and can’t endorse whether this will be good. I have just heard that balsamic vinegar has a sweet taste and is handy in most American households. Also add palm sugar instead of regular sugar if you can get it. That makes a difference in taste. I enjoy watching food network and apply many methods into my Burmese cooking. There is no Burmese grocery in DC area and it is very difficult to get imports from there. The original blogger who wrote this recipe is in New Zealand and not a pro. He just shared his methods to newbies. The girl in this picture is a pro unless she is selling what her mom made from home!


Wow what great information! But it took me forever to post this for everyone, sorry Naomi! I hope you will share more wonderful traditional Burmese recipes with us!