Burmese Thami Letto: Rice and Noodle Salad
Thami letto is a Burmese street food salad of rice, spaghetti and glass noodles tossed with chilli oil, tamarind, fish sauce, roasted gram flour, peanuts, fried garlic and crispy onions. Salty, sour, spicy and crunchy all at once.
Aamna's recipe makes a big tray, enough for about 20 people, so it's made for gatherings. Everything is mixed by hand and topped with fresh herbs, cabbage and boiled eggs.
Why this recipe works
- Three bases. Rice, spaghetti and glass noodles give lots of different textures in every mouthful.
- Roasted gram flour and peanuts. They add a nutty, toasty crunch that's classic in Burmese salads.
- Tamarind and fish sauce. Together they give the sour and savoury balance thami letto is known for.
- Homemade chilli oil. Oil heated with Kashmiri chilli coats everything with colour and heat.
Tips for the best thami letto
- Use cooled rice. Warm rice turns mushy when you mix everything in.
- Mix gently. Fold rather than stir so the rice and noodles stay fluffy.
- Save some garnish. Keep back coriander, spring onions and cabbage for the top.
- Shortcuts are fine. Shop-bought fried garlic and crispy onions work well.
What to serve with thami letto
Serve it straight from the tray with extra chilli oil, lemon and boiled eggs. For more Burmese dishes, try mohinga, lahpet or ohn no khau swe. For a shortcut, a spoonful of Aamna's Thami Letto topper adds the same kind of savoury crunch to plain rice or noodles.
Burmese Thami Letto FAQs
What is thami letto?
A Burmese mixed rice and noodle salad. Thamin means rice, and letto means mixed by hand. Read more in our guide: what is Thami Letto?
Is thami letto served hot or cold?
It's served at room temperature, using cooled rice and noodles, which makes it good for parties.
What is fish gravy?
It's the Burmese term for fish sauce. Any good Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce works.
How many does this recipe serve?
About 20, so halve it for a family meal.
You'll find the full ingredients, the method and our step-by-step video in the recipe card below.
Burmese Thami Letto is a lively and flavourful rice and noodle salad, a street food staple in Burma that’s as colourful as it is delicious.
- 400 G rice, cooled
- 500 G spaghetti (boiled with a pinch of red food colouring, rinsed under cold water)
- 200 G noodles (soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes and cut into short lengths)
- 0.5 cup roasted peanuts (roughly crushed)
- 6 tbsp roasted gram flour (besan)
- 1 cup chopped canned boiled potatoes (or fresh, boiled and diced)
- 20 garlic cloves, thinly sliced and fried (store-bought fried garlic can be used)
- 3 onions thinly sliced and fried (store-bought crispy onions work too)
- 1 tbsp MSG powder (optional)
- 6 tbsp fish gravy (omit for vegetarian option)
- 300 g bean sprouts
- 1 tbsp table salt (adjust to taste)
- 5 tbsp tamarind liquid (prepared by soaking tamarind paste in boiling water and straining)
- 2 raw onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cabbage, sliced thinly
- 1 cup coriander, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
- 1 cup spring onions, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
- 1 tbsp roasted chilli flakes (adjust to taste)
- 4 tbsp chilli oil
- 1 of Juice lemon
- Extra chilli oil, for drizzling
- Crushed fried filo pastry or crispy bits for crunch
- Boiled eggs, seared in Kashmiri chilli oil