Food From Northern Laos

Photo: DishRoute Mohinga: Burma's Fish Noodle Soup, the National Breakfast Ask in Myanmar what breakfast means and the answer, almost everywhere, is a steaming bowl of mohinga. Thin rice noodles in a rich, fragrant fish broth — lemongrass, ginger and garlic, thickened just enough with chickpea flour so it coats the noodles — topped with slices of banana stem, a boiled egg, crispy fritters and a shower of fresh herbs. It is savoury, sour, gently hot and deeply comforting, and it is eaten with the kind of devotion other countries reserve for their national dish, because that is exactly what mohinga is. A morning dish with deep roots Mohinga comes from Lower Myanmar, the delta country around Yangon where rivers, rice paddies and fish go together. Street vendors have sold it at dawn for generations — a big pot kept warm over charcoal, noodles blanched to order, broth ladled over in seconds. Workers, schoolchildren, monks and office staff all start the day the same way: perched ...