Go Back
Wide ceramic plate of Burmese tea leaf salad lahpet thoke: dark fermented tea leaf pile in the center surrounded by shredded green cabbage, diced red tomato, roasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, crisp fried garlic and fried split peas, with lime wedges, on a wooden table

Burmese Tea Leaf Salad (Lahpet Thoke)

Fermented tea leaves mashed with garlic oil and tossed with shredded cabbage, seeded tomato, red onion, roasted peanuts, fried split peas, sesame seeds, fried garlic, fish sauce, and lime.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup (about 160 g) fermented tea leaves (lahpet) drained and finely chopped if whole
  • 3 tablespoons garlic oil or peanut oil divided
  • 3 cups (210 g) green cabbage finely shredded
  • 2 medium Roma tomatoes about 10 oz (280 g), seeds scooped out and flesh diced
  • 1/2 small red onion or 2 shallots about 2 oz (60 g), thinly sliced and rinsed under cold water
  • 1/2 cup (75 g) roasted unsalted peanuts coarsely crushed
  • 1/4 cup (35 g) fried split peas or fried yellow lentils store-bought or homemade; fried chickpeas work too
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • 3 tablespoons crisp fried garlic slices
  • 1 fresh red or green Thai chili thinly sliced (optional, to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice about 1/2 lime, plus lime wedges for serving
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons dried shrimp lightly pounded (optional)
  • Fresh cilantro leaves or whole green chilies for serving (optional)

Method
 

  1. Prep the tea leaves: Drain the lahpet well. If the leaves are whole, chop them finely. Put them in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of the garlic or peanut oil and a pinch of salt, then mash and stir with the back of a spoon for about a minute — you want a coarse, spreadable paste rather than loose leaves. Taste: if the leaves are sharply bitter, let them sit in warm water for 10 minutes first, drain, squeeze dry, and then dress with the oil.
  2. Crisp the toppings if you are making them: If your fried garlic and fried split peas are store-bought, skip to the next step. Otherwise, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Fry thin garlic slices for 1 to 2 minutes until pale gold, then lift them out to drain — they keep browning off the heat. In the same oil, fry soaked-and-dried split peas for 2 to 3 minutes until crisp. Keep the flavored oil; it dresses the salad.
  3. Soften the onion: Put the sliced onion or shallot in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry. This short soak keeps the bite but takes off the raw harshness that would otherwise sit on top of the tea leaves.
  4. Build the base: In a wide serving bowl or on a platter, spread the shredded cabbage in an even layer. Scatter the diced tomato and the drained onion over it. Spoon the dressed tea leaves into the center in a mound — the traditional presentation keeps the piles separate until the last moment.
  5. Add the crunch: Scatter the crushed peanuts, fried split peas, sesame seeds, fried garlic, dried shrimp (if using), and sliced chili over the salad. Nothing here should be ground to a powder; pea- to lentil-sized pieces are what give the salad its texture.
  6. Dress and toss at the table: Drizzle the remaining garlic oil over everything, then add the fish sauce, lime juice, and salt. Toss thoroughly with two spoons, folding the tea paste up through the cabbage so the shreds take on color and the tomato juices join the dressing. Taste and adjust: more lime if it feels flat, more fish sauce for depth, a little more salt if your lahpet was mild. Serve right away with lime wedges.