Burmese Tea Leaf Salad

Origin: They say in Myanmar, tea is not only drunk — it is eaten.

Leaves plucked from misted hills, fermented in clay jars, pressed under weight and silence until the bitterness blooms into depth.

Once, laphet was offered as truce — a gesture between enemies, a promise that the past would stay buried for one meal’s length.

To eat the leaf was to lay down your sword. Now it comes with peanuts, lime, garlic, and crunch — a storm of flavor around a single quiet center.

Bitter, bright, alive. Laphet thoke is no side dish. It’s a memory of peace disguised as salad.

A reminder that bitterness, too, can be sacred.

Ingredients

“Laphet thoke is a traditional Burmese salad made with fermented green tea leaves and a symphony of textures—crispy nuts, seeds, garlic, cabbage, tomatoes, lime.”

Fermented Tea Leaf Base (store-bought laphet or DIY quick-style)

2 tablespoons fermented green tea leaves (or substitute with chopped brined green tea leaves or a mix of olive tapenade + matcha for DIY version)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce or soy sauce

Pinch of sugar

Salad

1 cup shredded green cabbage

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

2 tablespoons roasted peanuts

2 tablespoons fried garlic or shallots

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

1 bird’s eye chili, thinly sliced (optional)

Lime wedges, to serve

How The Alchemy Happens

If using a DIY tea leaf base, mix chopped brined green tea leaves or the tapenade–matcha combo with garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

In a bowl, combine cabbage, tomatoes, and chili.

Mound the tea leaf mixture in the center. Surround it with small piles of nuts, seeds, fried garlic, and any crunchy bits.

Toss everything together tableside — or serve unmixed for dramatic flair.

Finish with a squeeze of lime.

Bitter, bright, and communal — a salad meant to be shared, never owned.