Burmese Sweet Snacks

Unlike sweet dishes in the West, Burmese sweets, known collectively as moun, aren't consumed as dessert but rather as snacks, typically taken with tea in the morning or afternoon. And unlike sweets elsewhere in Southeast Asia, moun are not made with sugar but with sweet flavors from grated coconut, coconut milk, rice flour, cooked sticky rice, tapioca and fruit.

Standout Burmese sweets include hsa nwin ma kin (small cakes of crumbly semolina flour with coconut milk, ghee and raisins), bein moun and moun pyit thalet (Burmese-style pancakes, served sweet or savory, with a damp, hole-y consistency).