Chanda Dutt
Shwe Yin Aye is a dessert extensively famous in the streets of Myanmar, especially in the capital Yangon. It is a cool and refreshing dessert. the term Shwe Yin Aye literally means golden heart cooler, hinting at its refreshing nature. Sweet, creamy, and rich, this specialty is made by combining steamed sticky rice, sago or tapioca pearls, tapioca sticks, cendol jelly noodles (often flavoured with pandan), agar-agar powder, sugar syrup, and chilled coconut milk. The taste is pure Nirvana.
Shwe Yin Aye, a beloved Burmese summer delicacy
The texture of this dish is quite similar to our very own falooda, usually keeping away the chia seeds from the mixture. It is sweet, colourful, pleasing to the tired eyes and a welcome, wholesome bowlful of mana from heaven. This beauty is generally found in cities and towns with scorching summer heat and those settled in cool mountainous regions of Myanmar are usually deprived from it. We, residing in the hills of Myanmar, had to be satisfied with other alternatives such as the stick vanilla ice cream or crushed ice on sticks with delightful red and orange syrup with a dollop of sweet, condensed milk poured on top to be sucked and licked with the gay abandon of childhood days! That would be our summer treat.
The Indian equivalent to the Burmese Shwe Yin Aye, our very own Falooda
However, our hills too had their share of cool sweet desserts in the form of palm jaggery syrup, where a fistful of rice/ corn flour falooda-like tiny noodles would be thrown into the syrup normally held in earthen pots. If you asked for it, the vendors would serve it with ice cubes too. The taste was absolutely out of this world. The name of this dish is as yummy as the dish itself and it is called “Mont let saun“, a phonological delight. Ladies carrying the pots selling this delicacy would walk down the streets calling out to sell their desert. Sweet and cheap but thoroughly hygienic too. We were happy to call them over, squat on the grass pavement and enjoy this golden brown syrupy glass. This was a special treat for us on those wet market days where the weekly bazaar took place once a week.
Most of the times, we waited patiently for a trip to either Yangon or Mandalay during our summer vacation and looked forward for the sweet colourful bowl of this cool desert to be found on every street corner and in the local markets. Along with fresh sugar cane juice, the vendors sat with an array of colourful syrups to serve with Shwe yin aye. If the customer prefers fresh fruits, one can choose from an tray carrying a rich and exotic display of fruits such as durian, avocado, lychis, strawberry, papaya, watermelon…and what not.
Shwe Yin Aye made at home
The vendors would keep containers filled with custard pudding, ice creams, jellos, dried fruits, nuts as well as chocolate chips, mostly as accompaniments. What a colourful display to attract customers indeed. When this is made at home here in Kolkata for example, it’s not unusual to add bread cut into small squares which tastes equally delicious. When I make it at home, I use chia seeds or sabja to enhance the taste as a local alternative. So, dear readers, use whatever you want or have at your disposal to recreate your favourite version of Shwe yin aye right within the comforts of your own home.
Also Read: Memories from Myanmar: Durga Puja in Taunggyi
Image Courtesy: Author, Savory Spin, Aloha Burma
Shwe Yin Aye
Chanda Dutt is a home-cook and Burmese cuisine expert based in Kolkata. Her pop-ups are quite popular among the food lovers in the city. She briefly ran a Burmese cuisine restaurant called Chanda's Khawksuey.
