Laphet Thoke Dressing

April 6, 2024

Laphet Thoke Dressing - kvalifood.com

The dressing for Burmese tea leaf salad (laphet thoke). It is intentionally simple – garlic oil, lime juice, and fish sauce – because the fermented tea leaves carry the complexity. Making the garlic oil fresh gives you fried garlic chips as a bonus, which are essential to the salad.

Makes ca. 60 ml dressing (enough for 2-4 servings)

Ingredients

Garlic oil

4 tbsp peanut oil (or neutral vegetable oil)
6-8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Dressing

2 tbsp garlic oil (from above)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
salt, to taste

Directions

Heat the peanut oil in a small pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and fry gently, stirring often, until golden and crisp – 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully, garlic burns fast.
Remove the garlic chips with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Reserve the garlic oil.
In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar if using. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Add the garlic oil and whisk briefly. The dressing will not fully emulsify – that is fine.
Taste and adjust: more lime for brightness, more fish sauce for depth, a pinch of salt if needed.

Notes

Peanut oil is the traditional Burmese choice. Sesame oil can replace part of it for a nuttier flavour (use sparingly, about 1 tsp mixed with the peanut oil).
Toss with fermented tea leaves, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, roasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, fried garlic chips, dried shrimp, and fried split peas.
Some cooks add a small chopped green chilli to the dressing. More commonly, sliced chillies go directly into the salad.
The fried garlic chips are as important as the dressing itself. Do not skip them.