A crispy treat in Burma

Leading up to the big pagoda in Myeik in Southern Burma there’s a street lined with stalls selling everything from sunglasses and longyis to toys and ice cream, and this crispy treat that I don’t know the name of.

This man was making them, first by slowly pouring the batter into a wok full of hot oil, around and around in circles until the top of the oil is covered in doughy bubbles. Then he sprinkled some shredded coconut on top.

After a minute or two, he’d tap it down with his super long cooking chopsticks to make sure both sides got cooked.

Then, after a few more minutes, when it was getting nicely browned and crispy, he’d put one of his chopsticks underneath it through the middle and lift it up out of the oil.

He put it on a rack to drip dry and cool for a while, then packaged it up in a bag for me to take away and eat.

It tastes a little bit sweet, and it’s crumbly and crunchy on the outside but a bit chewy when you eat it, a bit like rice krispy treats but without all the marshmallowyness. Pretty yum but I couldn’t eat the whole thing, so I shared mine with the lady at the BBQ stand where I had dinner. She said it was very good, but when I asked what it’s called she either didn’t know the name of it or didn’t understand what I was asking.

Have you ever had a fried crispy snack like this? Where? When? What’s your favourite street food snack?