Burmese Gin Thoke – a delectable pickled Ginger salad full of contrasting texture and flavor. Vegan + Gluten Free.
If you catch me eating a salad and {truly} enjoying it, chances are it’s a Burmese salad. Why? Coz they are so much fun! More than 50% of the salad is made up of deep-fried condiments and it is bursting with flavor and texture! Fun, right?
And all you healthy snobs turning up your noses at that, you should know that Burmese salads aren’t really like the salads of the Western world. Salads or Thoke (pronounced Thok) are more of an accompaniment to a typical meal of rice/noodles and curry. And they are absolutely delicious! Kinda like how kachambar goes with Indian meals, if you know what that means.
I love Burmese food, mostly because I grew up eating it at home, thanks to my grandmother (I’ve only mentioned that like a thousand times on this blog!). Most of my paternal family (though ethnic Indians) migrated back to India post WWII. They were more Burmese than Indian when they were forced to leave Burma and spent a lot of years just trying to fit in with people with whom they shared ethnicity and not much else.
They adapted, eventually, but I know that my grandmother forever missed her homeland. She spoke of her childhood years ever so often, described the overbearing monsoons, the tastes and the smells of the marketplace, the beautiful golden pagodas, friends, family and the way they survived the horrors of war. She never regretted leaving, but missed it nevertheless.
Through food, she kept some of her heritage alive at home, and I shared in her jubilation of Burmese flavors. She always had the condiments, bottled up and ready to go into a salad or curry at a moment’s notice. Her Green mango salad is my absolute favorite!
Here are some other Burmese recipes I love: Burmese Chickpea Tofu Salad | Burmese Chickpea Tofu | Burmese Chickpea Bowl | Burmese Coconut Jelly | Burmese Fried Rice | Burmese Semolina Cake | Burmese Banana Fritters | Burmese Balachaung | Burmese Shan Noodles | Burmese Mandalay Noodles | Fried Red Chilli Flakes
The best way to make this salad, is split it into two days. On a particularly boring afternoon, do all the deep frying – fried onions, fried garlic, fried ginger, fried red chilli flakes. Save the reddish oil left behind after deep frying. That is just pure flavor gold which transforms any food it touches.
I hate deep frying things, and if I can help it, always choose the baked option. But there are some things that deserve the indulgence that comes with a vat of oil, and for those things, I make the odd exception. These condiments fall under that category.
But these do not – when baked, they are just as crisp as the deep-fried version – so, bake the lentils and chickpeas. Resist the urge to snack on them. It’s gonna be very hard. Resist.
On the day you want to eat the salad, assemble the fresh ingredients. Toss everything together and enjoy immediately. Don’t be stingy with the unhealthy deep fried bits.
And don’t be too coy with the mixing either – get in there with your hands to massage the flavors into the lettuce. Eat this simple Burmese Gin Thoke as a side to your meal of rice and curry. It’s gonna be a delicious day, I promise!
When you make this delicious Burmese Gin Thoke (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here!
And here are some incredible Asian salads for you to savor:
This Burmese Gin Thoke is a part of the #AsianSaladFeast with Kimchimari.com
Tofu Salad with Iceberg Lettuce and Sweet Corn by Kimchimari
Thai Larb Salad by Wok & Skillet
Gado Gado Salad by Brunch-n-Bites
Paleo Asian Coleslaw by What Great Grandma Ate
Vietnamese Chicken and Rice Vermicelli Salad by Nut Free Wok
Salad with Spiced Grated Coconut Topping (Urap Sayur) by What to Cook Today
Authentic Thai Fish Salad by Healthy World Cuisine
Thai Seafood Salad (Yum Talay) by A Taste of Joy and Love
Crunchy Thai Eggplant Salad by Grits & Chopsticks
Springtime Sushi Bowl by The Sasha Diaries
Shabu Shabu Cold Noodle Salad by Chopstick Chronicles
Japanese Potato Salad by V for Veggy
Broccoli Sesame Dressing by Daily Cooking Quest
Burmese Ginger Salad
- Prep Time:5m
- Cook Time:40m
- Total Time:45m
- Serves: 2
- Yield: About 5 cups of salad
Ingredients
Pickled Ginger
- 2 inches of ginger, peeled and sliced julienne
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
For the Salad
- 3 c iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 1 roma tomato, de-seeded and chopped
- 1/3 c cucumber, de-seeded and chopped
- 1/4 c crispy baked lentils (link in post)
- 1/4 c crispy baked chickpeas (link in post)
- 1 tsp. fried onions
- 1 tsp. fried garlic
- pickled ginger*
- 1 tbsp. roasted peanuts, crushed coarsely
- a dash of lime juice
- 1/4 tsp. chilli oil
- 1/4 tsp. fried red chilli flakes (or to taste)
- Salt, to taste
- fresh cilantro, to garnish
Instructions
Pickling the ginger
- Combine the ginger, lime juice and salt in a clean, sterile container with a lid. Make sure the container is small enough that most of the ginger is submerged in the lime juice.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight (at least).
Assemble the salad
- Layer all the ingredients in a serving bowl in this order: Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, crispy lentils, crispy chickpeas, fried onion, fried garlic, pickled ginger, fried ginger, peanuts and red chilli flakes.
- Just before serving, freshly squeeze lime juice, drizzle chilli oil, and garnish with cilantro. Season with salt as needed.
- Toss everything until combined and enjoy!
jennifer scarfe says
Hello Tina,
My mother was burmese and after Lepet thoke (preserved tea leaves) gin thoke was favourite, I can eat it till the cows come home.
A variation to your recipe was finely shreaded white cabbage in place of lettuce ( which holds its form longer and has crunch) toasted chickpea flour and toasted sesame seeds.
best regards
jennifer
Tina Dawson says
Cabbage instead of Lettuce – definitely trying your variation! Thank you Jennifer for sharing your story with me today! I absolutely love connecting with people like you who had similar roots! <3
Sharon says
Hi Anita! This is my first time visiting your blog and I love your voice. I feel like we are just hanging out in your kitchen and having fun talking about food. What an interesting family history you have…I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for your grandmother to leave Burma and start her life over in a place that seems so familiar and different all at once. Thanks for the yummy recipe, can’t wait to try it.
Tina Dawson says
Thanks Sharon, I hope you’ll come back for more!! (my name is Tina, btw! 😉 )
Char Ferrara says
I am so in love with your photography! and yup…I would need to make lots of extra chickpeas and lentils as I will snack on ALL of them! Yum!!!
Tina Dawson says
That would be super smart, I always end up snacking on them. It’s super hard not to!
Shihoko Ura says
I love ginger! I have never had Burmese salad or any food before and must try this salad soon. The salad has great range of flavours and textures 😀
Tina Dawson says
Absolutely! I hope you like it Shihoko!
Ann says
Ooh, wow! I really want to try this pickled ginger. It looks great!
Tina Dawson says
For something so simple, it’s super delish!
Amy says
Tina, I’m a huge fan of your site eventhough I’m not vegan, I love vegetarian dishes. This recipe is so healthy, simple and delicious! And your photos are gorgeous! I love it Tina. I think I’m going to make this salad with baked lentils. Yum!!
Tina Dawson says
Yaaay Amy! Thank you so much, I am so happy!
Anita says
Wow, I have never tried Burmese salad before, but all the photos and your incredible guide convince me I need to rectify that ASAP. And… totally agreed that some deep frying is just unavoidable when trying to reproduce great food 😀
Tina Dawson says
Thanks Anita! I hope you try this and like it too!
Healthy World Cuisine says
What a fun crunchy salad with an explosion of flavors and textures. Splitting up your prep days is a great way to do this. However, don’t know if we could keep the boys from stealing all the crispy treats for 24 hours… LOL
Tina Dawson says
That could be a little hard, it’s hard enough for me, and I’m an ‘adult’ 😛
Molly Kumar says
WoW, the salad looks Amazing!!! I love all the flavors you have going on here and nothing like a super crunchy-munchy salad packed with delciousness. Gotta try soon
Tina Dawson says
I hope you like it, Molly!
Sasha Gill says
I have never had a Burmese salad before but I think now is a good time to start!! And I love the subtle spiciness of ginger, so this salad sounds right up my alley… yum!
Tina Dawson says
So much flavor going on here, it’s amazing!
Jean says
What a pretty salad! I’ve never even heard of crispy baked lentils but now I really want to try it.
Tina Dawson says
You definitely have to. Much more healthier than croutons!
Marvellina | What To Cook Today says
I’m a huge fan of Burmese salad. All the toppings that goes with it are just insane!! Love it!! Beautiful captures as always Tina!
Tina Dawson says
Thank you so much, Marvellina!!! You are ever so kind!
Christine says
What a gorgeous salad, Tina! I know salad is healthful and ginger is good for me so I am going to be a good girl and make this salad. 🙂
Tina Dawson says
The pickled ginger is super good for you, Christine! I hope you like it!