Lahpet Thoke

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp pickled tea leaves (lahpet), drained
• 4 tbsp fried yellow split peas
• 3 tbsp fried broad beans
• 4 tbsp roasted peanuts
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp peanut oil
• 2 ripe tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
• 2 green chillies, thinly sliced
• 150g white cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tbsp crispy fried shallots

Before you cook

• Drain the pickled tea leaves and squeeze out any excess brine, then loosen the clump with a fork.
• Shred the cabbage as finely as you can manage.
• Slice the garlic paper-thin and cut the tomatoes into slim wedges.
• Chop the dried shrimp roughly so the pieces still have bite.

Steps

1. Warm 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a small pan over a medium-low heat.
2. Add the sliced garlic and fry for about 2 minutes, until it just turns pale gold, then tip it and its oil into a small bowl to stop the cooking.
3. Put the shredded cabbage in a wide serving bowl and spread it out to make a base.
4. Arrange the tea leaves in a mound in the centre.
5. Lay the split peas, broad beans, peanuts, sesame seeds, dried shrimp, tomato wedges and green chilli around the tea leaves in separate piles.
6. Pour over the garlic with its oil and the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut oil.
7. Add the fish sauce and the lime juice.
8. Toss everything together thoroughly with your hands or two spoons for a full minute, so the oil coats every strand.
9. Taste and add more lime or fish sauce until it is sharp, salty and slightly bitter all at once.
10. Scatter the fried shallots over the top and serve straight away, so the beans keep their crunch.