A Review of Spicy Nan Gyi Thoke

A combination of spicy and savory, nan gyi thoke is a burst of flavors and deliciousness. Nan gyi thoke, which roughly translates to rice noodle salad, is a traditional Burmese dish composed of cilantro, lime juice, thick noodles, chickpea flour, spicy chicken, dried chicken, salt, eggs, and chili oil. What struck me about this dish was its especially unique taste; at first bite, I tasted the chickpea flour mixed into the noodles and a curry taste from the chicken. I could also slightly taste the lime flavor. Then, at the very end, just when I thought everything was going perfectly as usual, a sharp spiciness kicked in, filling my mouth with heat. I quickly downed some sweet guava juice mixed with sparkling water. Yes, I realized adding the teaspoon of chili oil on top of the noodles had been a mistake, for the nan gyi thoke was already spicy enough from the chicken. Despite my burning mouth, I continued to eat the nan gyi thoke. After all, I couldn’t waste it, right? No, the real reason I kept eating was because of its addictive taste. I had never had anything that tasted like this dish before: the spiciness and savory flavors from the chicken, the taste of the chickpea flour in the dish, and the slightly sour flavor from the lime. Perhaps I was pleasantly surprised by the dish because it was only the second Burmese dish I had ever eaten in my life, or maybe the way the spice kicked in only at the very end was just so different from anything that I had ever tasted before. I know for sure, though, that trying the dish was truly an experience like no other.