🍢 SNACK
Baya Kyaw (Burmese Split Pea Fritters)
Crunchy little fritters of soaked yellow split peas, half ground smooth and half coarse, with onion, chilli, coriander and turmeric, served hot with a tamarind dip.
Burmese · easy · serves 6
prep 20 min · cook 25 min · plus 8 h hands-off time
~258 cal · 11g protein · 27g carbs · 12g fat · 11g fiber · 4g sugars · 2g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Fritters, a kyaw, are everywhere in Myanmar. They are eaten at breakfast and at teatime, sold at tea shops and from hawker stands, and dipped in a sour-sweet sauce; some kinds are broken up over bowls of mohinga, the fish noodle soup.
Baya kyaw are made from yellow split peas soaked overnight. The trick is to grind them twice: half blended to a smooth paste that binds the fritter, half pulsed only coarsely so there is crunch in every bite. Chopped onion, fresh chilli and coriander go in with a little turmeric and paprika, and small spoonfuls are dropped into hot oil.
They come out golden and craggy, with a crisp shell and a soft centre, and need nothing more than a dip. Made only from peas, vegetables and spice, they are naturally vegan and gluten-free.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and 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 6
- 250 g yellow split peas
- 1 to 2 fresh red chillies, chopped
- up to 1 tbsp water (for grinding)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 handful fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 l , for deep-frying
- 1/2 cup or sour chilli dipping sauce, to serve
Instructions
- 1Rinse the split peas and soak them in plenty of water overnight, at least 8 hours. Drain very well.
- 2Pulse half the peas in a food processor to a coarse, gritty texture and tip them into a bowl. Blend the other half with the chillies to a smooth, thick paste, adding no more than 1 tbsp water.
- 3Mix the two together with the onion, coriander, paprika, turmeric and salt.✎ Chef’s noteThe smooth paste holds the fritters together; without it the coarse peas fall apart in the oil.
- 4Heat the oil in a deep pan over medium heat (about 170C, 340F). Using two teaspoons, shape small ovals and slide them into the oil, six to eight at a time. Fry for 2 to 4 minutes, turning, until golden brown and crisp.
- 5Drain on paper towels and serve warm with the dipping sauce.
Burmese tea-shop and street-food 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. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
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: Blender, Food processor.
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
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 Baya Kyaw (Burmese Split Pea Fritters)?
Crunchy little fritters of soaked yellow split peas, half ground smooth and half coarse, with onion, chilli, coriander and turmeric, served hot with a tamarind dip.
Where does Baya Kyaw (Burmese Split Pea Fritters) come from?
Baya Kyaw (Burmese Split Pea Fritters) is a Burmese dish from Yangon, Myanmar.
Can Baya Kyaw (Burmese Split Pea Fritters) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Baya Kyaw (Burmese Split Pea Fritters) 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 Baya Kyaw (Burmese Split Pea Fritters) 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 Baya Kyaw (Burmese Split Pea Fritters) take to make?
About 8 h 45 min in all: 20 minutes prep and 25 minutes cooking, plus 8 h of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 6.
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