Kyar Zan Kyaw ~ Fried Vermicelli

What is Kyar Zan Kyaw?

"Kyar Zan Kyaw" is a traditional Burmese snack made of fried vermicelli with various tempura toppings. The name "Kyar Zan" means vermicelli and "Kyaw" stands for fried. As a child, I used to eagerly wait for the Kyar Zan Kyaw hawker, to pass by our house for an afternoon snack. The hawker Lady would carry a big pot full of fried vermicelli on her head, with some tempura on top, and a market basket full of small steel bowls, spoons, and a medium soup pot in her hand. It was amazing to see how she could balance everything and walk around the neighborhood like a superhero.

When the hawker reached our front door, one of the adults would help her put the pot down, and she would start preparing our snack. The traditional Kyar Zan Kyaw includes fried vermicelli with deep-fried fish skin, along with various tempura such as deep-fried pork blood, soybean balls, and other side snacks. The fish skin is an essential ingredient, without which it cannot be called Kyar Zan Kyaw. The hawker would also bring two different sauces, tamarind sauce and tomato chili sauce. After we finished eating the fried vermicelli, we would drink clear cabbage soup with the same bowl.

Just thinking about Kyar Zan Kyaw makes me nostalgic for my childhood in Mandalay. I wish I could go back and have it again.

It's very easy to make Kyar Zan Kyaw, and all the ingredients are cheap. You can make it healthier by adding more vegetables. As a child, I didn't like to eat vegetables in my Kyar Zan Kyaw, and I only enjoyed eating vermicelli and tempura with tamarind liquid sauce.

Ingredient (2 Serves)

Vermicelli         300~400 g

Sugar peas        80 g (Thinly Slices)

Carrot               60 g (Julienne)

Cabbage           100 g (Thinly Slices)

Onion               half (Thinly Slices)

Garlic               4 Cloves (minced)

Thick Soy sauce            1 tbsp

Oyster sauce                 1 tbsp (out this out for Vegan)

Cooking oil                   3 tbsp

Sugar                            1 tsp

Seasoning

Let’s Cook

Step      1: Soak the vermicelli in the hot water for 3 to 4 minutes. Then marinate with thick soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and seasoning. Then prepare all the vegetables.

Step      2: Heat your preferred cooking oil in a pot, add onion and garlic and stir for half a minute. Then add all the vegetables and cook for an additional minute.

Step      3: Mix the marinated vermicelli with the ingredients gently, without breaking it.

Step      4: For proper cooking of vegetables and vermicelli, add 50 ml of water and cover the pot for 1-2 minutes. Use medium-low heat and ensure nothing sticks to the bottom.

Step      5: After opening the lid, continue cooking until the raw smell of vegetables disappears, especially for peas. Please enjoy Kyar Zan Kyaw with any type of tempura you have.