Skip to main content

5 Burmese Street Desserts : Icy, Sweet, Milky and Colorful ingredients

Ever wondered what Myanmar people eat for dessert? 

These sweet treats are often sold by vendors who roam the neighborhood streets with push carts, and they hold a special place in the childhood memories of many Burmese people.

In this blog, I'll share some of the most famous desserts found throughout the country and even tell you what ingredients you need to make them right at home!


Thar Gu (သာကူ)

Named after the main ingredient, the Sago pearls - သာကူစေ့ (thar gu sei), this dessert is simple yet unforgettable. The chewy texture combined with the soft, warm sweet potato cubes will leave you longing for more. My personal favorite since it's easy to make, gives you cozy feelings and pretty filling for your stomach! 

  • Coconut Milk 
  • Jaggary / Palm Sugar syrup
  • Boiled Sago pearls
  • Sweet potato


Shwe Yin Aye (‌ရွှေရင်အေး)

As a tropical country with plenty of sunshine, people in Myanmar often prefer desserts with icy syrup to help cool down their body temperature. Shwe Yin Aye is a popular Burmese dessert typically served cold with ice, making it a refreshing treat, especially on hot days. The name itself literally translates to "Golden ရွှေ(shwe) Chest ရင်(yin) Cooler အေး(aye)". This sweet, creamy dessert is a comforting favorite for many and is often enjoyed during special occasions, Thingyan festival or just as a casual snack after work.

  • Coconut Milk 
  • Sugar syrup
  • Steamed Sticky Rice
  • Coconut/Cendol jelly
  • Bread
  • Salt


Mote Lat Saung (မုန့်လက်ဆောင်း)

This is more of a cold drink that you can chuck right from the cup than a solid dessert. However, it's more watery than the other two mentioned above. This type of dessert is common all across Asia so whenever I travel and find a similar drink, it always reminds me of the Burmese version Mote Lat Saung.

  • Coconut Milk or Palm Sugar syrup
  • Cendol jelly
  • Ice cubes


Khout Mote (ခေါက်မုန့်)

A delicate and crispy folded crepe, which direct translation is "folded snack". It is made by spreading rice flour on a hot flat skillet and topped with jaggery and fresh coconut shavings, and optionally complemented with other fillings like boiled red beans. The sweet aroma of the burning batter will make you salivate and want to stuff your mouth with this warm, crispy treat!

  • Rice flour batter
  • Jaggery syrup
  • Coconut shavings
  • Red beans


Mote Lat Kout (မုန့်လက်ကောက်)

This is a Burmese style donut (Bracelet snack) usually paired with the palm sugar syrup. It's kids favorite and I remember begging my mom to buy it for me every weekend when I was little, although it was denied most of the time because she's worried it'll give me constipation. It's a little oily, chewy and slightly sweet. If you have a sweet tooth like me, you'd dip the whole ring inside the  jaggary syrup and clear the whole plate in minutes!

  • Rice flour and glutinous rice flour
  • vegetable oil
  • Salt
  • Jaggery syrup


In modern days though, people eat more extravagant desserts like Falooda or Domino at the restaurants. They really are delicious but I'm sure we crave the traditional treats at some point and they  holds a special place in our hearts. If you have time, you should try to make some of the desserts mentioned above. You won't regret!

What is your favorite dessert?








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Learn Burmese : 2025's most used Burmese slangs for everyday conversations! (With Examples)

Burmese Slangs (မြန်မာ ဘန်း/ဗန်းစကားများ) Slang words are informal terms or phrases that are commonly used in certain social situations or by specific groups of people. You can hear them being used almost everywhere! For example, someone might have told you to 'keep your cool' during an important meeting. Burmese Slang is very different from regular Burmese and often breaks traditional language rules. It is always changing and evolving – some slang words fall out of use, and new ones emerge each year. At first glance, many slang terms might seem confusing because their purpose is to create a group of people who understand the slang (such as teenagers), while others, like parents or teachers, may not. However, with the right context, slang can be a great way to express yourself. Using slang properly can help you speak Burmese more fluently and confidently. 2025 Top 10 Most Used Burmese Slangs  To help you understand slang and the situations in which using it may be appropriate, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Learn Burmese with Flashcards: Master the Basics (Alphabets & Numbers)

Unlock the beauty of the Burmese language with our interactive flashcards ! Whether you're a beginner or looking to improve your skills, our collection of flashcards will help you learn and remember basic Burmese characters easily! Overview The Burmese alphabet , also known as the Myanmar script , is the writing system used for the Burmese language. It has a unique and elegant appearance, with rounded characters that are distinct from many other Southeast Asian scripts. The Burmese language has 33 consonants (alphabets) , which form the foundation of most words. These consonants represent basic sounds that combine with vowels to create syllables. Practice First, take a look at the below list of Burmese alphabets and try to make yourself familiar with the shapes and pronunciations. If you don't know how to pronounce them yet, check out this post with all the audios . Once you're ready, you can start browsing through the flashcards and test your memory!  And don't pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Basics : Counting in Burmese Numerics

When you learn Burmese, studying the basic is the most crucial steps.  In this blog, I've listed out the numbers in Burmese and how to pronounce them plus some examples for you to read through. It isn't difficult at all as it follows a pattern after 1-10!  Burmese numbers: 0 to 10 English Burmese Myanglish One ၁ tit Two ၂ nit Three ၃ thone Four ၄ lay Five ၅ ngar Six ၆ chout Seven ၇ khon / khon-nit Eight ၈ shit Nine ၉ koe Ten ၁၀ tit-sal People usually confuse the One and Two since it sounds a little similar. But once you have a hang of it, it's pretty easy. "One" has the very obvious 'T' sound and "Two" starts with the 'N' sound. Listen carefully and you'll hear the difference!  One more thing you need to take note is that number S even is a littl...
Post a Comment
Read more