Burmese restaurant Lahpet in London's Shoreditch is set to launch an online shop, selling a whole range of delicious Burmese pantry staples, plus meal kits to recreate Lahpet dishes at home.
Lahpet, translating from Burmese as ‘tea’, is one of London’s only Burmese restaurants, and one of only a handful of Burmese restaurants in the UK.
Founded by Dan Anton and Burmese-born Head Chef Zaw Mahesh, who were eager to bring exciting, authentic and contemporary Burmese food to the capital, and to shine a light on their shared Burmese heritage and the relatively untapped cuisine of Myanmar.
Many Burmese pantry items have, until now, been difficult to find in the UK, but now the Lahpet team are thrilled to bring the flavours of Myanmar directly into your home.
Lahpet has developed a range of staple products central to Burmese store cupboards and dinner tables, some imported from Myanmar and the rest made in house by the Lahpet team. The pantry items can be used in a myriad of ways - simply as a garnish for rice dishes and curries, to add an extra punch to vegetables, or some merely to be enjoyed alone. Pantry products include:
· Pickled Tea Leaves – a national delicacy, widely used in Myanmar and the main component in the ubiquitous tea leaf salad
· Pickled Ginger – made with young ginger which is almost translucent in colour and imported direct from Myanmar
· Shan Tofu – a silky smooth tofu made in house in the traditional Burmese style, with yellow split peas, ready to be sliced and deep or shallow fried at home
· Double Fried Beans – containing an assortment of butter beans, broad beans, split peas, chana dahl, garlic, all double fried. Great for adding a moreish crunch to a variety of salads or simply as a snack
· House Tamarind Sauce – sour with a fiery kick, this goes excellently with fried Shan tofu fritters, crudités or as part of a dressing
· Balachaung – a spicy Burmese condiment made with dried shrimps, shallots, garlic, paprika, turmeric, fish sauce and chilli, fried together then pound into a paste. Great with rice and curries
· House Pickles – made with mustard greens, this can add a sour and fiery kick to curries and noodle dishes
· House Chilli Jam – Lahpet’s restaurant recipe, well balanced with a sweet and sharp chilli kick. Wonderful with steamed rice and grilled meat and fish
· Crispy Shallots – made in house, these are a delicious garnish on salads, curries and noodle dishes
· Shallot Oil – a by-product of the crispy shallots, its common practice in Myanmar to use leftover cooking oils to reduce waste and add extra flavour to dishes. We’ve yet to see a product like this on the shelves in the UK. Great drizzled over salads, grilled meat, and fish. For a truly Burmese experience mix with fish sauce and lime to dress salads and noodle salads
· Garlic Oil – another oil under used in most Western kitchens. Made in house, this makes a great alternative to olive oil when it comes to dressing dishes
Meal kits for some of Lahpet’s most popular dishes will also be available to order through the online shop. Each kit requires you to buy one or two fresh and easily accessible ingredients, such as tomato or lime. Meal kits on offer include:
· Coconut Noodles with Chicken (Ohn-no Kauk Swé) – Lahpet’s much loved rich and fragrant chicken and coconut noodles, comes with a serving of Lahpet’s chicken and coconut broth, egg noodles, shallots, spring onion, paprika oil, egg, lime, coriander and crispy noodles to garnish, you simply supply and fry the diced chicken thigh
· Tea leaf salad (Lahpet Thohk) – Lahpet’s eponymous, umami packed, texture laden salad comes withpickled tea leaves, double fried beans, cabbage, dried shrimps, garlic cloves, Birds’ eye red chillies, Lahpet dressing, fish sauce, sesame seeds - you supply the tomato and a squeeze of lime
· Ginger salad (Gin Thohk) – fresh and fiery, comes with pickled ginger, double fried beans, cabbage, fresh shallot, crispy shallots, garlic, coriander, Birds’ eye red chillies, toasted gram flour, shallot oil - you supply the tomato and a squeeze of lime
Further dishes will be added to the Lahpet meal kit menu soon, such as the traditional Shan Noodles (Shan Kauk Swé) containing rice noodles, minced chicken and pork, paprika and tomato, pickled mustard greens, pea shoots and sweet soy peanuts.
To complete the Lahpet at home experience, drinks will also be available to order on the online store - including two new homemade non-alcoholic coolers: Pineapple and Coconut Cooler – sweet, fruity and lightly carbonated, and Raspberry and Ginger Cooler – refreshing and fierywith a ginger kick and sour finish.
Alcoholic drinks on offer include: Lahpet Margarita – made with Betel leaf infused tequila and Jaggery syrup, lime and Himalayan pink salt, which should be cooled and shaken before serving, and Myanmar larger – a crisp and refreshing Burmese beer.
Vouchers are also available to purchase, to redeem at the restaurant once it’s able to reopen.
Lahpet intends to launch a full menu restaurant delivery and takeaway service later in the summer.
