Burmese cuisine is one of the most delicious cuisines I have ever tasted. Even their salads and soups have samosa in it, so how could anybody not find it delicious! That brings me to the National Dish of Burma (Myanmar) – Mohinga. Mohinga is ready available in all parts of Myanmar, from restaurants to street vendors, everybody makes it and serves it throughout the day, all across Myanmar; though it is usually a breakfast dish.

Mohinga is a fish or vegetable-based broth of onions, garlic, ginger and lemongrass topped with sliced banana blossoms and fritters, thickened with chickpea flour. I have had the vegetarian version of it at Burma Burma (Near Flora Fountain, Mumbai), which is one of the best restaurants to have Burmese cuisine in India, as part of the Royal Feast menu set up for me by WowTables, which is a very popular concierge service in the metros. It is served with rice vermicelli, dressed and garnished in a fish or vegetable sauce, a squeeze of lime, fried onions, coriander, spring onions, dried chilis, peanuts, etc.

Today, Mohinga is available at all-day breakfast outlets, as well as off street vendors. It has made its entry into formal functions that serve an exquisite gourmet version. There is also a dry ready-made powder form of Mohinga available that can be reconstituted to make this broth. Despite all this, street vendors remain the most popular beholders of this dish. they carry soup cauldrons on one side of a long shoulder pole, and rice vermicelli and other ingredients along with the bowls and spoons on the other. They are also set up outside theaters and performance events.