You’ve celebrated Chinese New Year and kept a check on whether it’s the year of the monkey, rooster, tiger, or another animal in the Chinese zodiac. But have you ever celebrated or even heard of Burmese New Year? Thingyan Festival is essentially a water festival and celebrations resemble Holi minus the colours.
During Thingyan, the act of water splashing symbolises purification and washing away the old to focus on the new. It’s also the time for the Burmese Padauk flower to bloom, which mirrors the vibrant hues of the festivities. The festivities extend beyond Burma’s borders, as most Asian countries celebrate their New Year around the harvest. You will seed that to be true with Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Bihu, and Baisakhi as well.
According to Ankit Gupta, Co-Founder, Burma Burma, “The Thingyan Festival is a time for celebrations and renewal, and what better way to usher it in than with a celebratory menu that transports you to Yangon in the heart of Burma. Our specially curated menu and vibrant atmosphere aim to capture the essence of this joyous occasion, fostering a sense of community and sharing. Let’s welcome the new year together, with open hearts and delicious food!”
To mirror the celebration and to give India a flavour of Burmese traditions, this time Burma Burma has a specially-curated festive menu. As community eating is a big part of the festivities, the menu is in the form of a village set, which is a shared meal big enough for two-three people. Naturally, there are other experiences centered around this as well. This includes a hand wash, a way to celebrate the water festival while you are dining in. Each Burma Burma location has also been decked in yellow hues as a nod to the Padauk flower. And, there is a hawker tray around the restaurant too from which you can try Burmese sweets and candy.
Village Set, Sweet Lime & Shallot Salad
But of course, the village set takes precedence and is at the centre of all Thingyan Festival celebrations at the restaurant. On the cane tray you will find different bowls holding an array of items. These include a zesty Sweet Lime & Shallot Salad, which is a combination of sweet lime, garlic oil, roasted gram flour, lime, shallot, crushed green chillies and peanuts. It’s the perfect summer salad that the team tells us is inspired by a lime salad they ate in Burma at a cafeteria in Bogyoke Aung San Market or Scott Market in Yangon. There have to be some fried items on the menu, of course, as the Burmese love fritters and snacks. This comes in the form of an Assorted Fries Platter, featuring mock-mince samusa, sweet potato tempura, and rice crackers.
For mains, the set has a Peppery Tofu & Onion Stir Fry, which tastes almost as though it’s home-cooked except you are eating an elevated version at a restaurant in India. You can dig into it with a flaky, shallow-fried Palata (a layered paratha), which showcases the mastery of the Bamar cooking style. For rice lovers, the village set as Ohn Hatmin or Coconut Rice, a ceremonial dish served on special occasions, made with fragrant short- rice cooked with raisins and onions in fresh coconut milk. The rice pairs perfectly with a version of Sebiyan from the Shan state of Burma. This Pumpkin & Broad Bean Curry is light and flavourful and showcases popular Burmese vegetables and legumes.
Another stir fry on the plate, the Roselle & Mushroom Stir Fry, is not for everyone. Its bold, tart flavours thanks to the roselle leaves are an acquired taste but were an instant favourite of The Lab Mag team. This stir fry is a dish from the Chin tribe, where sour roselle leaves and mushrooms are stir-fried with garlic, bird’s eye chilli, and turmeric – a true testament to the Burmese love for sour notes.
Thingyan Festival Menu’s special drinks, Lemon Poppy Seed Ice Cream
Through this set you can sample three desserts. First on the plate is the traditional Banana Sanwin Makin, a semolina cake served at special feasts, with banana and strawberry, baked in coconut cream, and topped with poppy seeds. Our favourite for the season is the Lemon Poppy Seed Ice Cream, which is citrusy and refreshing. We have already told the chef that we would love tubs of this all through the summer.
Finally, as a special treat, the restaurant is serving a complimentary dessert, Mont Lone Yay Paw. This a traditional Thingyan sweet made with glutinous rice flour dumplings filled with palm jaggery and topped with shredded coconut – it’s quite like the versions of steamed sweet rice dumplings stuffed with jaggery and coconut across India.
If all the food was not enough, Burma Burma has specially crafted beverages to celebrate Thingyan as well. Each has summer fruits and refreshing flavours that we would not mind sipping on in the hot sun. There’s Twilight, a tropical blend of house-made mango puree, coconut, Yakult, shredded coconut, and fizz. The Plum Sour, reminded us of kala khatta with its tangy plum puree, lime, ginger ale, and black grass jelly. A lighter but extremely refreshing sip comes from El Dragon, which is made with exotic dragon fruit, coconut water, litchi water and elderflower syrup, and nata de coco. And finally, Musk is a refreshing mix of muskmelon with honey and lavender white tea cold brew, adorned with poppy seeds.
You too can sample the Thingyan Festival menu from 11th April to 19th May. The menu is being served at all outlets and a village set is priced at Rs 1850, with ample to share between three.
