🥔 SIDE
Balachaung (Burmese Crispy Dried Shrimp and Shallot Relish)
Pounded dried shrimp fried with crisp shallots, garlic, turmeric, chilli, shrimp paste and a little tamarind until dry, crunchy and deep amber, spooned over rice at almost every Burmese meal.
Burmese · medium · serves 10
prep 30 min · cook 30 min
~160 cal · 3g protein · 6g carbs · 14g fat · 1g fiber · 2g sugars · 2g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Balachaung is the Burmese relish that sits on the table beside the rice and curries at almost every meal. It is dry, crisp and intensely savoury, and a spoonful goes a long way on plain rice.
It is made from dried shrimp, pounded or processed to a fluffy floss, fried slowly in plenty of oil with a mountain of thinly sliced shallots and garlic that have been cooked to golden crispness first. Turmeric, ground dried chilli, a little ngapi ( ), , salt and sugar go in, and the whole is stirred over low heat until it is dry and crunchy.
Because it is fried dry, it keeps for up to a month in a jar, so it is made in batches.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 10
- 100 g dried shrimp
- 150 ml vegetable oil
- 200 g (about 10) shallots, very thinly sliced
- 15 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 to 2 tsp ground dried chilli
- 1 tsp (ngapi), dissolved in 1 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- 1Soak the dried shrimp in warm water for 15 minutes, drain and pat very dry. Pound in a mortar or blitz in a food processor for about 2 minutes, until fluffy and floss-like.
- 2Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat, add half the turmeric and the shallots and fry for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until evenly golden. Lift out with a slotted spoon and spread on paper; they crisp as they cool.✎ Chef’s noteDo not hurry the shallots or turn up the heat. They go from golden to burnt and bitter very quickly at the end.
- 3Fry the garlic in the same oil for 3 to 4 minutes until pale golden, and lift it out too.
- 4Add the shrimp floss, the rest of the turmeric and the chilli to the oil and fry for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the shrimp paste, tamarind water, salt and sugar and keep stirring over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes, until the mixture is dry and crunchy.
- 5Stir the shallots and garlic back in and cook for 1 minute more. Let it cool completely, then store in a clean airtight jar. Serve a spoonful or two with rice and curries.✎ Chef’s noteIt keeps for about a month in the fridge.
Burmese home tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Yangon. Yangon wakes to mohinga, a lemongrass and catfish rice-noodle soup eaten at dawn from street stools. Burmese cooking leans on fermented tea leaf, dried shrimp, chickpea flour, and oil-slicked curries built on onion, garlic, ginger, and turmeric.
🗺️
Myanmar. Lahpet is one of very few things in the world where tea is eaten rather than drunk. The leaves are steamed and packed to ferment, then tossed with fried garlic, split peas, peanuts, sesame, dried shrimp, tomato and green chilli into a salad that is simultaneously bitter, sour, salty and crunchy, and it is offered to guests and at ceremonies.
🌍
Asia. A grain line runs across the continent. Rice dominates the wet south and east, wheat the drier north and west, and the tools follow it: the wok and the steamer where rice is milled, the tandoor and the griddle where wheat is ground. Tea travels the other way, drunk green, black, salted, buttered or with milk depending how far it got from China.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Myanmar
MohingaMyanmar’s national breakfast: rice noodles in a lemongrass-catfish broth thickened with toasted chickpea flour.
Burmese Chicken CurryChicken slow-cooked in an oil-rich onion, garlic, ginger, and turmeric masala until deeply savory.
Lahpet ThokeA tea-leaf salad of fermented tea, crunchy fried beans, nuts, and seeds tossed with cabbage and lime, Myanmar's national treasure.
Browse all Myanmar recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Wok, Blender, Food processor, Mortar and pestle.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Myanmar meal
Burmese Milk Tea (Lahpet Yay No Hsat)Drink
Sanwin MakinDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Balachaung (Burmese Crispy Dried Shrimp and Shallot Relish)?
Pounded dried shrimp fried with crisp shallots, garlic, turmeric, chilli, shrimp paste and a little tamarind until dry, crunchy and deep amber, spooned over rice at almost every Burmese meal.
Where does Balachaung (Burmese Crispy Dried Shrimp and Shallot Relish) come from?
Balachaung (Burmese Crispy Dried Shrimp and Shallot Relish) is a Burmese dish from Yangon, Myanmar.
Can Balachaung (Burmese Crispy Dried Shrimp and Shallot Relish) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Balachaung (Burmese Crispy Dried Shrimp and Shallot Relish) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Balachaung (Burmese Crispy Dried Shrimp and Shallot Relish) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Balachaung (Burmese Crispy Dried Shrimp and Shallot Relish) take to make?
About 60 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 10.
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