Mohinga
“National breakfast — catfish-and-banana-stem broth thickened with chickpea flour, ladled over rice vermicelli with egg, fritter, chili oil.”
Where it comes from
Bamar lowland dish, documented in colonial Yangon street records by the 1880s. Tradition ties it to Irrawaddy delta fishing villages where catfish and banana plant were everyday catches. Sold from shoulder-pole stalls before sunrise.
On the plate
Thin yellow-grey broth, slightly gritty from chickpea flour, fish-funky from ngapi. Soft rice vermicelli. Toppings non-negotiable: crisp split-pea fritter, halved boiled egg, fresh cilantro, lime, dried-chili oil.
How it works
Banana-stem core gives the broth its vegetal sweetness and absorbs fish oil — substituting cabbage flattens it. Chickpea-flour slurry must go in at the simmer, stirred constantly, or it lumps. Ngapi is non-optional; without it the broth tastes thin.
Author Daw Mi Mi Khaing's 1975 'Cook and Entertain the Burmese Way' lists mohinga as the only dish eaten at any hour. Yangon's 999 Shan Noodle and Myaung Mya Daw Cho are the city's two mohinga benchmarks.
Variations
Mon-style (Mont Hin Gar) leans heavier on lemongrass and uses snakehead instead of catfish. Rakhine version (Rakhine mont di) is sharper, more chili-forward, served drier. Mandalay vendors add toasted chickpea powder at table.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
5 steps · Show ↓23 min active · 50 min waiting
How it's made
5 steps · Show ↓- 130 min
Simmer 1 catfish + lemongrass + ginger in 2 L water 30 min; flake fish, reserve broth.
- 28 min
Sauté 4 sliced onions in oil + add chili-shrimp paste; 8 min.
- 310 min
Pour in fish broth; stir in 80 g chickpea flour slurry to thicken; add banana stem chunks.
- 420 min
Simmer 20 min; return flaked fish; salt to taste.
- 55 min
Ladle over cooked rice vermicelli; top with boiled egg, fritter, chili oil, lime.
