Aug 26,2021
The area around Takadanobaba Station in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward must have thirteen or fourteen Burmese restaurants. One of the most unusual is Nong Inlay, which serves Shan cuisine. The hallmark of Shan cuisine is its great variety of fermented foods. The place attracts many regulars, because the food suits the Japanese palate. We recently visited Nong Inlay to talk to the people who run it.
“Shan cuisine is very healthy. Many Shan dishes capitalize on the sweetness of vegetables and the umami produced by fermentation,” explains May , whose cheerful cadences and bright smile make an immediate impression on you. Shan State, where many Shan live, is in eastern Myanmar on the border with China, Thailand, and Laos, so the place is a cultural crossroads. And because the entire state is on a plateau 1,000–1,500 meters above sea level, it has a more genial climate than hot, steamy Yangon. Temperatures in the twenty-degree Celsius range are common throughout the year. This, too, has put its stamp on Shan cuisine.
“Flavor preferences in Myanmar vary by region and ethnicity. Yangon is very hot, so people there like fatty, richly flavored foods made with generous amounts of nam pla. Fermented foods are less common than in Shan State, maybe because the temperature is too high. The Rakhine love hot, spicy foods due to strong Thai influence. When someone comes to the restaurant and asks what’s spicy, I know they’re Rakhine [laughs]. Shan cuisine is milder. The Shan aren’t very fond of fatty foods.”
May, wife of Sai Min Zaw , who has run the restaurant with owner Suthip since it opened in 1997. You’re immediately struck by her bright smile and efficient way of serving customers.
Shan cuisine has much in common with Japanese cuisine, May says, including the way vegetables are served and the abundance of fermented foods.
“Like Japanese cuisine, Shan cuisine has, for example, pickled mustard greens and rakkyo (pickled shallots) and something resembling takuan made by drying daikon radishes. And a condiment resembling miso is often used. It tastes like Japanese miso spiced up by adding chili peppers, and it’s used a lot like Japanese miso. We add it to stir-fries or dip fresh vegetables in it.”
Fermented soybeans and tofu are found in Shan State as well. The fermented soybeans, unlike Japanese natto, don’t have sticky strands. They’re used to make crackers or added to foods in powder form. The tofu tastes similar to stinky tofu. These Shan foods are still made in many homes today, according to May.
“Some can be bought, of course, but store-bought tastes completely different from homemade. Everything Mom makes is so delicious and healthy. Ingredients for making Shan food are hard to get a hold of when you’re in Yangon, so you begin to miss Mom’s home cooking.
“Fermented foods are made from December to January, when the temperature and humidity are low. Shan people love that time of year. It’s been said since olden times that fermented foods made in the season of morning dew taste best. Fermented vegetables suited to long-term storage are typically preserved at this time of year.”
All the dishes served at the restaurant are prepared by hand. While certain ingredients, such as fermented soybeans, can only be produced in Myanmar and have to be ordered, most are fermented in-house.
Fermented mustard greens pickled in-house using Japanese takana greens. Delivering a spicy kick that’s addictive, they’re a favorite with many patrons in stir-fries and such.
The Shan are famous for eating insect dishes as well as fermented foods. Many customers order them, eager to give them a try.
On May’s advice, we selected three dishes for this feature: the tea leaf salad, the dried mustard greens soup with pig’s feet, and the skinless meat-and-rice sausages. Each is a classic Shan fermented dish.
Skinless rice-and-meat sausages
“The skinless rice-and-meat sausages are made by mixing rice and meat, wrapping them in banana leaves, and letting them sit for three days. Wrapping them in banana leaves causes them to ferment, giving the meat and rice a nice aroma. Shan people eat the meat raw. You can’t do that in Japan, though, so here at Nong Inlay we serve it steamed. You have your choice of pork or chicken. The pork is the most popular.”
When you try these sausages, they have a distinctive umami flavor yet are gentle on the tongue. The faint fermented note gets your mouth watering. With a taste this good, it’s no wonder so many people are big fans of them.
Tea leaf salad
“The tea leaf salad is made by fermenting tea leaves in water previously used to wash rice or in softly boiled rice. They’re left to ferment for three days, then stored in a bottle after the bitterness of the tea is eliminated. This salad contains deep-fried broad beans and six or seven other types of beans, as well as prawns. It goes well with a drink, so it’s a popular drinking snack.”
It’s easy to see why many customers invariably order this dish when they’re having a drink. The taste of tea, the chewy texture of the several types of beans, and the prawn’s umami flavor make a nice combination. This salad has a nostalgic taste. You feel like you’ve eaten it somewhere before. The seasoning suits the Japanese palate.
Dried mustard greens soup with pig’s feet
“The dried mustard greens soup is made with mustard greens that have been washed in water previously used to wash rice, then dried for two to three days and fermented. The more you simmer the soup, the sourer it tastes. That’s due to the effects of fermentation. Adding pig’s feet results in a collagen-rich soup.”
This soup is suffused with the umami and sourness of mustard greens and the tang of ginger, making it very flavorful indeed. It goes down smoothly even with pig’s feet, I suppose because it’s sour but not too sour. It struck me as the perfect soup to eat when you’re exhausted by the summer heat. Shan cuisine can sometimes be hot and spicy, but not this soup. Anyone will find it enjoyable. Those who prefer it spicy can always season it with the condiments on the table.
“It tastes delicious,” I tell May,
“I’m glad you like it! Our Japanese guests all say it tastes delicious. Nothing could make me happier,” she answers, smiling from ear to ear.
Fewer customers come to enjoy the food with a drink in the evenings nowadays due to Covid, and business isn’t easy, owner Suthip and May say. But they’re determined to hang in there, not least for the sake of the people who work at Nong Inlay.
“Everyone who works here is from Myanmar. They aren’t just Shan, they’re Kayin, Mon, and from many other ethnic groups, all working together as friends. They’re all strong and hard workers. Our restaurant attracts a lot of people. They come from Myanmar’s different ethnic groups, Yunnan Province in China, and Thailand, not to mention Japan. For their sake and the sake of all our customers, we want to keep serving great food.”
Suthip and May nod to each other as they speak.
Owner Suthip and May
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