A savory-sweet glutinous rice dish stirred laboriously in a giant wok with coconut, peanuts, sesame, and ginger until thick and sticky. Made communally for the Tabodwe full-moon festival, it is offered first to the Buddha and then shared with the whole neighborhood.
Htamane belongs to the Mon people and to the Burmese festival of Tabodwe, celebrated on the full moon of the eleventh lunar month as the cool season ends. Making it is a community spectacle: several strong people wield long wooden paddles to stir the heavy, sticky mass in cauldrons too large for one cook, often within monastery grounds. A first portion is offered to the Buddha, then the rest is parceled out to family, friends, and neighbors as a festival gift of goodwill.
Warm and densely sticky, it clings to the spoon with a glossy sheen, sweet and savory at once. Crunchy peanuts and sesame break up the chew, while fried coconut and ginger lend a toasty, gently spiced warmth fitting for a festival.
Constant stirring over heat ruptures the starch granules in glutinous rice, releasing amylopectin that makes the mass intensely sticky and glossy. The fat from coconut and oil coats the grains, preventing scorching and carrying the toasted aromas throughout.
Variations
Extra-peanut htamane, sweeter dessert-leaning version, with extra fried coconut, less oily home-scale batch
On the Palate
Where Htamane sits in the Burmese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 12How it's made
8 steps · 30 min
- 1240 min
Soak glutinous rice for several hours, then drain.
- 25 min
Heat a large wok with plenty of peanut oil and fried coconut shavings.
- 33 min
Add the soaked glutinous rice and a generous splash of water.
- 430 min
Stir continuously with a sturdy paddle as the rice softens and turns sticky.
Watch outStir without stopping as the rice softens and turns sticky — constant motion ruptures the starch for that glossy stickiness and stops it catching and scorching on the bottom.
- 510 min
Work in shredded ginger, toasted sesame seeds, and roasted peanuts.
- 630 min
Keep stirring over steady heat until the mass is thick, glossy, and cohesive.
Watch outKeep working it over steady heat until the mass is thick, glossy, and pulls together into one cohesive lump — that's when it's done.
- 72 min
Season with salt to keep the savory-sweet balance.
- 85 min
Offer a first portion ceremonially, then serve warm in shareable pieces.
