Burma Burma has been a trailblazer in India’s vegetarian dining scene, celebrating its 10th year of culinary excellence. Founded in 2014, the restaurant has earned its reputation by bringing authentic Burmese cuisine to multiple Indian cities. The restaurant’s commitment to offering a vegetarian-only menu has drawn widespread attention and praise, allowing diners to experience Burma’s rich culinary heritage. Over the past decade, Burma Burma has expanded its presence across eight cities, creating a unique niche in the Indian food industry.
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The foundation of Burma Burma is rooted in the Burmese heritage of co-founder Ankit Gupta. With his family connection in Myanmar, Gupta combined his lineage of hoteliers with his mother’s treasured recipes to create a dining experience that honours Burmese traditions. Collaborating with Chirag Chhajer, an avid traveller and food enthusiast, the duo has crafted an eatery that stands out for its authentic flavours, cultural significance, and innovative approach. Burma Burma is celebrated for its exclusive vegetarian menu, bringing the vibrant tastes of Myanmar to Indian diners.
“Burma Burma is a Burmese specialty restaurant that draws inspiration from my own family's treasured recipes and our travels with the culinary team across the country over the last 11-plus years while maintaining a strong connection to Burma's culinary heritage.” says Mr. Gupta.
When asked for the exclusive vegetarian Burmese dishes, he added, “In indigenous Burmese cuisine, vegetarian dishes are prevalent, with meats typically added as broths or toppings. While travelling extensively across Burma, we came across a wide range of vegetarian dishes. We recognised the significance of this vegetarian aspect of the culinary heritage, which lies at the soul and core of Burmese cuisine, and felt it was crucial to showcase that through our menu offering.”
Also Read: Burma Burma's Ankit Gupta Talks About The Similarities Between Burmese And Indian Cuisines
Burma Burma: The Secrets Behind The 10 Year Trail
Image credit: Rajan Bhattacharya
The restaurant celebrates a decade of bringing authentic Burmese cuisine to Indian diners. Marking this milestone, the restaurant has introduced a special celebratory menu titled "The 10 Year Trail." This limited-edition menu, available across all locations until September 30, 2024, offers a curated selection of must-try dishes (both vegan and gluten-free) that highlight the rich culinary heritage of Burma. The seven regions being highlighted in the celebratory menu are Kayin, Chin, Shan, Kokang, Kachin, Yangon, and Bago.
Celebratory Menu For The 10 Year Trail
Image credit: Rajan Bhattacharya
In honour of its 10th anniversary, the restaurant has created a special menu that showcases its commitment to modernising its dishes while honouring its Burmese heritage. The 10 Year Trail menu features unique items, including fermented bamboo broth, seared mock meat, and regional salads from various Burmese tribes. Dishes like the Monk’s Meal and the Split Gill Mushroom Rice bring lesser-known Burmese flavours to the forefront.
Fine dining in Burma Burma’s celebratory menu starts with simple shredded crackers made of multigrain like pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, palm jaggery, and so on. Visitors can enjoy the cracker with the special tea menu available here.
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As for the soups, you can have Sarbuthi, a soup made with a corn husk & shiitake broth, thickened with maize flour, with pickled mushrooms & topped with a crispy corn fritter. Other than that, Tar La Baw, is a sun-dried and fermented bamboo broth filled with pounded ginger and basil topped with red pumpkin and rice vermicelli noodles.
The salads include some qualitative dishes. One of the main highlights is Siman Thoke. While describing the dish, Ankit Gupta revealed, “A visit to my mom’s hometown, was how we stumbled upon this dish. It was on our way to the next destination (Shan), when we spotted huge queues waiting for their meal in front of an unassuming streetside hawker. Which is when we discovered Siman Thoke; ever since then, we’ve been waiting for a chance to feature this on our menus.” Siman Thoke is a dish for those who love spicy textures in their salad.
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Apart from Siman Thoke, another salad from the celebratory menu includes a Steamed Rice Tofu Salad. The steamed rice and tofu are tossed with coriander & shallot oil, crispy garlic & fresh herbs, with a zing of chilli. Steamed Rice Tofu Salad is an absolute contrast of Siman Thoke, as this is a less spicy lighthearted dish that matches with other drinks and pickles.
The starters and salads are presented with four different chutneys. The manager of Burma Burma, Kolkata, Eman Sekh described, “We serve 4 different add-ons with the starters. The first one is roasted chilli with jaggery, the spiciest one, followed by a chilli and tamarind (tangy and spicy) chutney and smoked black bean, vinegar and garlic chutney. The fourth and the last one we serve is made of tangy roselle leaves.”
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The main course starts with the evergreen Highway Meal Parcel, which originated from Yangon, Burma. You can find these packages wrapped in old Burmese newspapers at any roadside stall in Yangon. The dish includes steamed rice with mushroom chips, radish pickle, mock meat and baby potatoes, and chopped cucumbers, mint and shallot salad. They're perfect for people who are always on the move, often called a truck drivers' meal. Lunchtime staples like the Highway Meal Parcel's comforting rice dish come in convenient, easy-to-open packaging. Burma Burma serves the dish with the same aesthetic as Yangon, wrapped in an old Burmese newspaper to maintain authenticity.
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The Highway Meal Parcel is followed by three of the most authentic Burmese main course dishes, i.e., Kho Poong with Pebok Chet (Steamed jasmine rice, bamboo shoot & roselle curry with a spicy fermented soybean relish); Sar Hpye (Wok-tossed rice noodles, seared mock meat & tofu, with an accompanying tamarind & sawtooth coriander sauce); and Split Gill Mushroom Fried Rice (Foraged split gill mushrooms and rice, flavoured with roasted mushroom extract, garlic and soy, topped with pounded Burmese tomato).
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The executive chef of Burma Burma, Kolkata, Mr. Bir Bahadur Tamang described about the main course, “As burmese locals are more fond of non-veg alternatives like fish oil, pork or other red meat options; we modified our dishes and gave these foods an exclusive vegan avatar according to the Indian taste palette without changing the authentic Burmese food culture. We use mock meat instead of red meat which is typically prepared from gluten-free flour.”
The 10 Year Trail menu doesn’t end here. The desserts include Burmese Milk Tea Cheesecake, Burmese Tropical Fruit Pavlova and Citrus Tea Leaf. Burmese Milk Tea Cheesecake combines with a brown butter streusel, stewed roasted apple confit, cinnamon ice cream, topped with a cinnamon caramel & spiced tea tuile. This dessert is perfect for those who prefer salted caramel flavour.
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Another dessert that Burma Burma is serving is Burmese Tropical Fruit Pavlova which includes coconut chantilly with a tropical fruit salsa & mango gel, topped with a ginger coconut ice cream & mango passion caviar, encased in a crunchy coconut meringue, served with a mango passion fruit coulis. Citrus Tea Leaf includes kaffir lime curd with a honey chantilly, topped with honey gel, almond streusel & citrus mango ice cream.
There are some curated beverage choices included in The 10 Year Trail menu that complement the diverse cuisines of Burma's various regions. Among the new beverages is the classic Inle cooler, Mont Let Saung (from Shan region), made with palm jaggery, coconut milk and toasted coconut shavings (a traditional Burmese drink). Kan Lan Yay from Pathein region contains lime, nori salt, raspberry purée, and fresh sugarcane juice.
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Another interesting option is Chin Gin Ley. From Rakhine region, Chin Gin Ley is prepared with hibiscus soda, fresh ginger, black grass jelly and hibiscus cold brew. Not only it's a healthy option to try, but the presence of black grass jelly keeps tantalising your tastebuds.
Want to try something out-of-the-box? Do not forget to try the durian float, originated from Kyin region, which includes nata de coco, black grass jelly, durian banana milk, and Burma's famous durian fruit.
And in the end, when you ask for the bill, it brings you another surprise. Burma Burma serves you the bill in a sacred silver-coated bowl with Burmese imli candies. They don’t just put the bowl on the table rather put it as an offering in front of the God. Serving food is a noble deed and they believe that they are a medium only.
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The vegetarian dining experience in India has been transformed by Burma Burma during its ten-year journey. Vegetarians all over the country have flocked to it because of its commitment to traditional Burmese cuisine. The future seems bright for this Pan-Indian restaurant as they keep growing and introducing new ideas. People who opt for vegan as well as vegetarian dishes can always count on Burma Burma to deliver with its extensive menu, one-of-a-kind flavours, and dedication to tradition.