G I F T About a fortnight ago, I was the blessed recipient of a very special homecooked Burmese meal. Since @bryankohwrites is a published author known for his food-centred travelogues interspersed with recipes that dig deep into the traditional cuisines of this region, I paid very close attention to every item he sent my way. I didn’t expect to have the opportunity to relish his knowledge and culinary skills so soon again after our unforgettable dinner at the home of @iamjaynedoe and @nigelheng, but there it was. Stopping me dead in my tracks was this trio of Burmese Salads: - “Bamar Tohu Thoke” which featured a yellow-coloured homemade Burmese tofu - “Ngape Thoke”, a Featherback herb and fishcake creation - “Myin Kwa Ywet Thoke” also known as Asiatic Pennywort salad (my hands-down favourite) These mini bouquets of unique herbaceousness were novel, intriguing and extremely enticing. I took deep whiffs of each and was immediately transported. The eating followed and that’s when I was truly and happily lost. The main course of Burmese Pork Curry with bamboo shoot and roselle leaf was indeed as delicious as it looked. I have a hunch the recipe for it may be found in Bryan’s second book - “0451 Mornings are for Mont Hin Gar: Burmese Food Stories” which happens to have won third place in the Best Asian Cookbook category at the World Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2016. To enjoy with the curry, he’d prepared “Laphet Htamin” or Fermented Green Tea Rice. For a moment, I thought it would taste similar to Hakka Thunder Tea Rice which is what it resembled but no, it was more fragrant and nuanced. Served with a boiled egg and pungent, crunchy “Jumyit” (leekroot), it could have easily qualified as a light meal in itself. For dessert, Bryan took a detour to the Philippines. ⬇️Continued in Comments⬇️

You don’t need a special occasion to dress up! This timeless qipao with all the fun customizable details just puts me in a good mood ♥️ . @ShanghaiTang #滩海上 #ShanghaiTang #TwistandTang #TangChallenge

Yangon is the most ethnically diverse city in Myanmar. While Indians formed the slight majority prior to World War II, today the majority of the population is of indigenous Bamar descent. . 📍သန့်ရှင်းသော တြိနတိ ကသီဒြယ်, ရန်ကုန် (Holy Trinity Cathedral, Yangon) 🇲🇲 . . . . . . . . . . . #instatravel #traveler #globetrotter #nofilter #TFLers #TagsForLikes #instadaily #photoodtheday #POTD #igersmy #igersmalaysia #livefolk #travel3sixty #airasia #cntraveler #lonelyplanet #wanderlust #passionpassport #vsco #vscogood #huffpostgram #projectvacation #anewbreedoftraveller #nationalgeographic #myanmar #yangon #asean #southeastasia #church