Cooking Myanmar food in Japan with supermarket ingredients

မြန်မာ

Mohinga and Myanmar curries are easy to cook in Japan. Supermarkets have fish, onions, garlic and ginger, and Asian food shops sell the rest. Takadanobaba in Tokyo has many Myanmar shops and restaurants.

Where to shop

The Asian food shelf of large supermarkets has fish sauce and rice noodles. KALDI and Gyomu Super sell turmeric, chickpea flour and dried shrimp. Myanmar shops in Takadanobaba, and halal or Asian grocery shops across Japan, sell ngapi, tea leaves and other Myanmar ingredients.

What to look for, and swaps

Fish sauce
Asian food shelf at most supermarkets (ナンプラー)
Rice noodles for mohinga
Asian shelf (ビーフン or フォー), KALDI
If not: Thin somen (そうめん)
Turmeric
Spice aisle at large supermarkets (ターメリック)
Chickpea flour
KALDI, Indian and halal shops (ひよこ豆粉)
If not: Rice flour (上新粉) toasted in a dry pan
Ngapi (shrimp paste)
Myanmar and Asian shops
If not: A little anchovy paste or extra fish sauce
Dried shrimp
Chinese food shelf at most supermarkets (干しえび)
Lemongrass
KALDI, Asian shops, sometimes frozen (レモングラス)
If not: Grated lemon zest
Catfish for mohinga
Asian shops
If not: Canned mackerel (サバ水煮缶) or fresh cod (タラ)
Fermented tea leaves (laphet)
Myanmar shops in Takadanobaba
Fresh coriander
Herb section at most supermarkets (パクチー)

Good to know

Canned mackerel makes a quick, rich mohinga broth.
Toast chickpea flour or rice flour in a dry pan first; it thickens the soup and adds a nutty taste.

Ingredient guides

Turn any dish into 3 steps with what Japanese shops sell

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Recipes to start with

Mohinga