Mont Pyar Tha Lat
“Long-fried sweet sesame dough strands — crisp twisted ropes dusted with sugar. Tea-shop breakfast crunch.”
Where it comes from
Anglo-Indian and Bamar fusion fried dough sold at colonial-era Chinese-Hokkien-Bamar tea shops from 1920s Rangoon onward. Cousin to the Cantonese mahua but sweeter and longer.
On the plate
Pale-gold twisted strands as long as your forearm, shatter-crisp shell, hollow-puff inside, sugar dust on the outside. Dunked in hot Burmese milk-tea (lahpet yay) — softens to chewy in 10 seconds.
How it works
Dough must rest 4+ hours so gluten relaxes — under-rested it springs back when twisted and cracks on fry. Fried at 180°C in palm oil; sesame seeds added to outer surface just before fry so they don't burn.
Yangon 19th Street's Yatha Teashop chain serves 4 sticks for 800 kyat alongside a glass of lahpet yay — the standard worker's breakfast under 1,500 kyat total.
Variations
Mandalay version is longer and thinner, almost noodle-like. Mawlamyine Mon-state version adds toasted coconut to the dough for a tropical perfume note absent in Bamar versions.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
5 steps · Show ↓18 min active · 65 min waiting
How it's made
5 steps · Show ↓- 165 min
Make yeasted dough: 400 g flour + 7 g yeast + 200 ml warm water + 60 g sugar + 30 ml oil; rise 1 hr.
- 210 min
Roll into long ropes; twist each into a knot.
- 32 min
Roll in sesame seeds.
- 44 min
Deep-fry in 180 °C oil 3 min until golden and crisp.
- 52 min
Drain; dust with sugar while warm.
