One can simply stroll around any street in India and find at least five different types of street foods to savour; that's how diverse the street food of India is. Depending upon the region you are in, you can get everything, from chaats to fish fry in one single lane! Chennai, for example, boasts of everything from bhajji, puttu and fried fish to many of Burmese delicacies, which have been a part of Chennai's street food scene for decades. While you might think that authentic Burmese delicacies would be restricted to fine-dine restaurants of Tamil Nadu's capital, the countless stalls at Beach Road and Burma Bazaar would tell you a different story.
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Burmese delicacies such as khow suey, athouk and mohinga are loved like anything by the people in Chennai, and that is exactly why these stalls have been here up-and-running for more than three decades now. 'Atho' is one Burmese delicacy that is extremely popular and perhaps defines Burmese food scene in Chennai. A variation of Burmese salad, atho is often served with mohinga, a soup which makes it a wholesome meal. Atho is made with orange noodles, cabbage, onions, chili flakes, roasted chana dal powder, tamarind juice, bejo (similar to gol gappas), garlic oil and coriander leaves - making it an absolute treat to the taste buds. Zesty, fiery, crunchy and a lot more, atho can be called a stunning combination of Indian chaat and Burmese salad and is a Chennai's must-try street food.
(Also Read: Here's What You Need To Know About Burmese Cuisine)
How To Make Atho | Altho Recipe:
But the best part is that you can have the taste of Burmese street food from Chennai right inside your kitchen with a super-easy Atho recipe. All you need to do is boil and cook noodles and mix them with fried onion and garlic along with chilli flakes, gram powder, cabbage, tamarind, oil, lemon juice and coriander leaves. That's it, it is barely a 30-minute process!
Find the full recipe of Burmese Atho here.
You can fry onion and garlic a night before and store it in an airtight container to fasten the process. Pair atho with a soup of your choice for a wholesome meal, you can top atho with a teaspoon of soup too right before serving.
Try this absolutely delicious street food from Burmese bazaar in Chennai at home, and share your experience with us in the comments section below.