Directions:
Bring the tea leaves, white vinegar and water to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes or until soft. Rinse with cool water and remove any twigs or hard pieces from the leaves. Strain completely, squeezing the leaves to remove as much moisture as you can.
Burmese Tea Leaf Salad Burmese Tea Leaf Salad
photos show before and after boiling the tea leaves
Put the tea leaves in a food processor and while it is running drizzle the sesame oil, olive oil, Maggi seasoning and fish sauce, scraping the sides often.
Burmese Tea Leaf Salad
Process the tea leaf mixture until the leaves are finely minced. Add additional fish sauce or Maggi seasoning if you want bolder flavors. Set aside while you prepare the salad.
Burmese Tea Leaf Salad
"fermented" tea leaves
Chop the romaine lettuce and layer it on a serving platter. Remove the seeds and dice the tomatoes and pile them on top of the lettuce. Finely chop the jalapeno and remove the seeds from the lemon wedges and add these to the platter. Pile each of the remaining ingredients on the salad and spoon about half of the tea leaf mixture in the middle, reserving the other half for later. (It will keep, refridgerated for up to three weeks).
Burmese Tea Leaf Salad
Burmese Tea Leaf Salad
Just before serving, squeeze the lemon wedges over the salad, and toss everything together well, be sure to evenly distribute the tea leaves.
Burmese Tea Leaf Salad
This recipe uses ingredients that are found at most Asian markets, when possible I have provided additional information about the exact ingredients I have used, with photos. Click on the ingredient names to view details.