Lahpet Thoke (Fermented Tea Leaf Salad) #FoodieExtravaganza

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays or cook and bake together with the same ingredient or theme each month. This month I am hosting. I encouraged the bloggers: "Let's celebrate all things salad. Green salads, pasta salads, potato salads...whatever you want!"

Posting day for #FoodieExtravaganza is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.

The Salad Smörgåsbord

• Avocado Egg Salad by Making Miracles
• Carrot Raisin Salad by Hardly A Goddess
• Cilantro Lime Cucumber Salad by Cookaholic Wife
• Crunchy Salad by Sneha's Recipe
• Lahpet Thoke by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Mexican Street Corn Salad by Caroline's Cooking
• Taco Salad Boats by Palatable Pastime
• Tortellini Cesar Salad by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• Tropical Fruit Salad A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Warm Steak and Sweet Potato Salad by Our Good Life

Lahpet Thoke

I have made this salad - Burmese Fermented Tea Leaf Salad - before, but it's been awhile. So, I thought I'd make another version and share it for this event. We had just gone to the Hidden Peak Teahouse (my tasting notes) and had picked up some beautiful new green tea leaves. You need to ferment the tea leaves the day before you plan to serve the salad.

Ingredients

• 1/2 C organic dried green tea leaves, loosely packed
• 1 C bitter greens, thinly sliced (I used Belgian endives)
• 1 T garlic paste
• 2 T finely chopped ginger root
• juice from one organic lime
• generous pinch of salt
• 3 T peanut oil
• 4 to 5 T roasted peanuts
• 3 to 4 T sunflower seeds
• organic flower(s) for garnish, optional (I used a rose)

Procedure

Fermenting the tea leaves

Place the tea leaves in a bowl. Pour 2 cups of hot water over the dried tea leaves. Let soak until the leaves have expanded and are quite soft, approximately 10 minutes.

Drain, pick through the leaves, and toss out any stems or hard bits. Place the leaves in the bowl of a food processor along with garlic paste, ginger, lime juice, and salt. Pulse for 30 seconds until it forms a thick paste. Place in a bowl, cover, and allow to ferment in a dark cupboard at least overnight.

To Serve

Place the sliced greens on a serving plate. Arrange the peanuts and sunflower seeds on top of the greens. Mix the peanut oil into the tea leaves and spoon them over the top of the salad. Garnish with a flower, if you want to!

Just before serving, toss the fermented tea leaves into the greens. Serve immediately. I served the salad with a side of brown rice and poached local rock cod.