Portraits of Bob Marley and Jesus hang above the plastic furnishings in an austere eatery near Sule Pagoda.
On a recent visit, co-owner Zirlianchhunga, 27, also known as “Zippy,” put on the latter’s playlist of hymns as the mostly Chin patrons tucked into steamy bowls of sabuti.
Sabuti is the comfort food of mountainous Chin state, a western region of Myanmar not known for its cuisine. But the guys behind Mr Sabuti—Zippy and his 22-year-old friend Lalchhanhima—set out to change that when they opened shop a year ago.
“We would like everyone to try traditional Chin food because they will love it,” said Zippy, whose father is Chin. “Burmese food can be too oily and salty, but our food is organic and healthier.”
In Chin, “sa” is meat, “bu” is boiled corn, and “ti” is soup, which tells you most of what you need to know about the dish.
White and yellow hominy corn, a staple of Chin state, is mixed with oxtail and topped with bean sprouts. A bowl costs 1,000 kyats (66 cents) and, although it’s hearty fare is warming during rainy season, it can taste a little bland.
Enter the shan-nan-nan, a punchy condiment of pounded Shan coriander, pepper, chilli and ginger, blended together and added liberally by the bravest among us.
The soup goes nicely with boiled eggs and Mr Sabuti’s tough yet flavourful fried beef, which stays for about an hour in the pressure cooker before being sliced, fried and seasoned.
The three other soups on the menu centre on beef intestine, pork with mustard and chicken porridge. Natives of the predominately Christian region who work in Yangon and worship at downtown churches enjoy them.
A cup of Chin coffee caps off a lunch at Mr Sabuti, which can squeeze in a couple of dozen people. It’s closed for Sunday mass but otherwise open, the owners buying fresh produce at the market every morning and continuing their fine representation of this underappreciated part of Myanmar.
Address: 217, 35th Street (upper block) Kyautada Township
Contact: 09 978 763438
