Burmese pork offal skewers, also known as ''wet tha dok hto'' ( my, ဝက်သားတုတ်ထိုး, ; ; also romanized ''wet thar doke htoe'') are pork

offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but usually excludes muscle. Offal may also refe ...

skewers simmered in light

soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and '' Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''Asp ...

, and popularly served as a street food in

Burmese cuisine Burmese cuisine () encompasses the diverse regional culinary traditions of Myanmar, which have developed through longstanding agricultural practices, centuries of sociopolitical and economic change, and cross-cultural contact and trade with ne ...

. The skewers are dipped in a

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

and

chili sauce Chili sauce and chili paste are condiments prepared with chili peppers. Chili sauce may be hot, sweet or a combination thereof, and may differ from hot sauce in that many sweet or mild varieties exist, which is typically lacking in hot sauces. ...

. The street food resembles the Indonesian

sekba Sekba or sometimes called bektim is a Chinese Indonesian pork offal stewed in a mild soy sauce-based soup. The stew tastes mildly sweet and salty, made from soy sauce, garlic, and Chinese herbs. It is a popular fare street food in Indonesian Chin ...

and the braised meats in the Malaysian and Singaporean dish '' kway chap''. The cuts of pork meat used in the skewers include the internal organs of the pig, including its ears, skin and cartilage, tongue, and offal, including the liver, heart, intestines, kidneys, spleen, lungs. The meat is well cooked in a large pan on a charcoal stove before simmering. The broth is made of light soy sauce, sugarcane,

five-spice powder Five-spice powder () is a spice mixture of five or more spices used predominantly in almost all branches of Chinese cuisine. It is also used in Hawaiian cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine. The five flavors of the spices (sweet, bitter, sour, sal ...

and bayleaf, ginger,

oyster sauce Oyster sauce describes a number of sauces made by cooking oysters. The most common in modern use is a viscous dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts,The Times, 22 January 1981; ''Cook Accidentally on purpose'' sugar, salt and water thick ...

, and an assortment of herbs, including

lemongrass ''Cymbopogon'', also known as lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, Cochin grass, Malabar grass, oily heads, citronella grass or fever grass, is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants in the grass family. Some ...

, mint, coriander, basil. This street food first emerged in Yangon Chinatown, and is now ubiquitous in the city. The earliest documented reference to Burmese pork skewers is a 1941 cartoon illustrated by

Ba Gyan Ba Gyan ( my, ဘဂျမ်း ; 1902–1953) was a pioneering Burmese cartoonist, who created the first cartoon movie released in Burma in 1935. Ba Gyan's cartoons covered a wide variety of topics and events, and ridiculed human frailties s ...

. Skewers are sold by the stick, and traditionally, street vendors set up stalls around which patrons gather and sit to enjoy. Pork sticks

References

Burmese cuisine Pork dishes {{Myanmar-cuisine-stub