U Kar Ka Assorted Fried Beans (ဦးကါက အကြော်စုံ)

Do you know tea can be eaten also? To truly understand, it helps to know a little more about laphet. Laphet, the pickled tea that gives tea leaf salad its signature flavor comes from the Shan State, located in the eastern part of Myanmar (Burma), part of the birthplace of tea.

Tea makes Myanmar tick, and it’s been that way for a very long time.. The country has a culture of tea product use that is very much its own, that has been shaped and reshaped by its history. From a stopover on an ancient trading route, through numerous kingdoms, up to colonial rule, and into the present day.

Lahpet was also a pre-colonial symbolic peace offering between warring kingdoms in ancient Myanmar. Myanmar fermented tea leaf (Laphet) is a signature and national ancient food dish that is eaten by all people in the country, regardless of race and/or religion, at get-togethers in family homes, in monasteries, and in traditional celebrations. It is a popular essential dish for traditional ceremonies in Myanmar.

Pickled tea, the so-called Laphet, is another form of tea leaf that is habitually eaten in Myanmar. Laphet is of Myanmar origins and not derived from any other cultures. The tea leaf plants are cultivated in the mountain regions of Myanmar, which have the proper climate, sufficient humidity, adequate sunshine, and fertile soil.

Myanmar is one of the few countries where tea is eaten as well as drank. Unique to this region is pickled tea. It is regarded as a national delicacy that plays a significant role in Burmese society. Lahpet is so important to the Burmese culture that when tea leaves are harvested, the best of the crop is set aside for fermenting and eating, while the rest is dried and processed for tea and drinking.

The freshly harvested tea leaves are steamed and then packed into bamboo vats then set in pits, pressed by heavyweights to encourage fermentation, buried in the ground, and left to ferment for up to a year. Dug up after the fermentation process the leaves are a moist, dark brown sludge.

The pickled tea leaves are covered with water, massaged gently, and drained well. these tea leaves are used to make Laphet. The fermented tea leaf is then thoroughly mixed with minced garlic and ground chili, salt, fresh lemon juice, and peanut oil. A tasty Laphet is the final result.

Lahpet (Tea Leaves) is known as the best leaf – there is a popular saying in Myanmar, “Mango is the best of all fruits, Pork is the best of all meats, Lahpet is the best of all leaves”. It is the most popular choice for both locals and tourists. Burmese cuisine features six flavors: sour, bitter, salty, astringent, sweet, and spicy.

And as you may have imagined, the astringent flavor is often represented by tea. The base mixture of Lahpet Thoke consists of soft pickled tea leaves, crispy beans and peas, roasted peanuts, fried garlic and sesame seed, fresh garlic, dried shrimp, sliced tomato, lime, and chilly are added.

This combination is absolutely superb with the burst of different textures and tastes experienced in one mouthful. Texture range from soft (tea leaf) to crunchy (crispy beans & peas); flavors sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and savory. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why tea leaf salad — Laphet Thoke — is so addictive, but it has something to do with its singular combination of textures and savory, salty, mildly sour flavors.

In Myanmar, pickled tea leaf salad is believed to help the digestive system and control bile and mucus. The combination of ingredients in Myanmar salads has also been designed for not just taste, but also health benefits. . The main ingredient of tea leaf salad is fermented tea leaves that have been consumed for thousands of years.

Not only does it have the same health benefits as tea — it's also rich in beneficial probiotics. Fermented tea leaves also contain antioxidants, can kill harmful bacteria, and may help fight several diseases. It’s also a great help to fight fatigue and sluggishness for students and workers because it’s very high in caffeine.

Please be advised that our food may contain or may have come in contact with peanuts, tree nuts, soy, milk, eggs, fish, and shellfish.

Statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.

We do not warrant that all product descriptions, images, photographs, pricing, or other information are accurate, complete, current, or error-free.

In addition, all weights and size dimensions are approximate to the products offered by the manufacturer.

The marriage between U Kar Kar and Daw Sein signified the beginning of a new family, and a new business. With outstanding work ethic and a strong sense of family, the couple founded U Kar Ka Daw Sein, a green tea business while raising 10 children.

Since then the business had been passing down from generations to generations for more than 90 years. Although U Kar Ka Company started out as a small family business, it exists today as an organization with over 300 employees.

U Kar Ka Daw Sein company currently have 2 branches in Mandalay and 3 branches in Yangon and our products are available in many of the supermarket chains in Myanmar. In 2016, our company introduce the most healthiest and hygienic laphat in Myanmar by using Retort Sterilization Process.

Our most distinctive features of our laphat is that it is oil free and has a shelf life of 1 year without any form of chemical preservatives. In the year 2018, we open U Kar Ka Daw Sein Healthy & Happy restaurant in Mandalay in order to promote and sell that laphat can be consumed not only in traditional ways but can collaborate in many other cultures.

Throughout the ages, U Kar Ka Co Ltd. survived World War II, a radical political transition of the country, and the fast paced socioeconomic changes of the 21st century. It has done so by embracing innovation and integrity while maintaining its culture and tradition. Today, it is a well-respected brand and a market leader in the Myanmar tea industry.

Our Zayan Laphat are produced using Retort Sterilization Process, a Japanese Technology, and therefore without any form of added oils and chemical preservatives and has a shelf life of 1 year.

There are no oil added in our laphat , so it is low in calories and it’s the healthiest laphat available in the market. Our Zayan Laphat is certificed with ISO, FDA and HACCP certificates.

ဂျပန်နည်းပညာ  Retort Sterilization Process အသုံးပြုပြီး ထုတ်လုပ်ထားပြီး ဆီနှင့် တာရှည်ခံ ဓာတုဆေးများ လုံးဝပါဝင်မှု မရှိပဲ ၁ နှစ် အထားခံသော လက်ဖက်စို ဖြစ်ပါသည်။

သန့်ရှင်းသပ်ရပ်စွာ ထုတ်လုပ်ထားပြီး ISO, FDA, HACCP အသိမှတ်ပြု လက်မှတ်များ ရရှိထားတဲ့ လက်ဖက် ဖြစ်ပါသည်။

Please allow 5-7 business days for processing, if not in stock.

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Returns: Due to the perishable nature of the products, all food products purchased from Banyan Canopy are Final Sale.