Tea Leaf Salad Recipe
Mandalay's tea leaf salad features Burmese tea leaves mixed with various crunchy components.
Was this page helpful?
Help improve this recipe for others.
Send this recipe to your inbox.
We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.
Ingredients
Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Tea leaf mixture
Crunchy salad components
Dressing
Garnish / finish
Method
Tea leaf mixture
- 1
If using packaged processed tea leaves (laphet), rinse lightly if very salty and squeeze to remove excess liquid. Chop coarsely if leaves are large. Place 1 cup of prepared tea leaves in a mixing bowl.
- 2
Add the lightly crushed roasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, fried yellow split peas, and crispy fried garlic to the tea leaves. Toss gently to combine. Set aside.
Crunchy salad components
- 3
Prepare vegetables: blanch the green beans in boiling salted water for 1–2 minutes until bright green and just tender; immediately plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry, then cut into 1–1.5 inch lengths.
- 4
Thinly slice the cabbage and shallots. Core and seed the tomato and cut into wedges or small bite-sized pieces. If using cilantro, wash and reserve the leaves.
- 5
Combine the blanched green beans, shredded cabbage, sliced shallots, tomato pieces, and cilantro (if using) in a large salad bowl. Toss gently to mix.
Dressing
- 6
In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the neutral oil, fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, soy sauce (if using) and chili flakes until the sugar is fully dissolved and the dressing is emulsified.
- 7
Taste and adjust seasoning: if it needs more saltiness add a little more fish sauce or soy; if it needs more acidity add a splash more lime. The dressing should be bright, salty-umami, slightly sweet and mildly spicy.
Assembly & garnish
- 8
Pour about half of the dressing over the combined vegetables and toss gently so the cabbage and beans are lightly coated.
- 9
Add the tea leaf and nut mixture to the dressed vegetables. Using two spoons or clean hands, fold and toss everything together until the tea leaves and crunchy components are evenly distributed. Add more dressing to taste — the salad should be well seasoned and slightly moist but not soggy.
- 10
Sprinkle toasted rice powder and extra toasted sesame seeds over the salad and toss once more to incorporate. Top with fried crunchy noodles or sev for additional texture just before serving so they stay crisp.
- 11
Adjust final seasoning (lime, fish sauce, chili) to taste and serve immediately on a platter or individual plates.