• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Messy Vegan Cook
  • Recipes
  • Thai Food + Travel
  • Supper Clubs
  • Subscribe
    • Bloglovin
    • Instagram
    • RSS
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Thai Food and Travel
  • London Vegan Supper Clubs
  • About
    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Easy Vegan Recipes » Snacks and Sides

    Fermented Abroad: Burmese Pone Yay Gyi (Horse Gram Bean) Paste

    12 July, 2017 by Kip 4 Comments

    Burmese fermented bean paste

    A few years ago, after an arduously tiresome journey from Lake Inle (most of it spent literally sitting on a road after a lorry broke down and left an entire mountain bypass of vehicles stranded), I found myself seated in a roadside restaurant in Bagan, Myanmar. The menu featured a dish that immediately caught my attention: fermented bean paste. How promising! I placed an order.

    Burmese Pone Yay Gyi Recipe

    Five minutes later a woman, presumably the proprietor of the diner, approached with a menu in hand. She pointed to the item I ordered and firmly said "foreigner no like." She repeated this statement each time I insisted I had no interest in changing my order, and I stood firm in my decision. Ten minutes later my food arrived, and before me was my first taste of pone yay gyi. I was in heaven.

    vegan pone yay gyi

    Used as a condiment and seasoning in Burmese cooking, pone yay gyi is made from fermented horse gram beans (pe bazat in Burmese). In cooking, the paste is often used alongside pork, but is also served on its own as shown in this recipe. The paste is thick and salty, with a sometimes nearly imperceptible chalky texture. The flavour packs a heavy punch for such a simple food (the power of fermentation, kids) so it's impeccably complemented by a mound of freshly steamed white jasmine rice.

    It's an obscure ingredient not easily sourced outside of its native Myanmar, but if you have access to a Burmese market you will almost certainly find pone yay gyi. If you live in the UK it can be bought online from Mum's House Burmese Supermarket.

    Pone Yay Gyi with Garlic and Shallot

    Vegan Burmese Pone Yay Gyi Recipe

    This mix of fermented pone yay gyi bean paste with fresh and fried garlic and shallot, plus a generous glug of flavoured oil, is so simple it hardly qualifies as a recipe. Quantities are vague because you should combine the ingredients to taste. All of the ingredients aren't necessary; pone yay gyi mixed with fresh shallot and plenty of oil is also delicious. If you live in the UK you can order it from the online Burmese supermarket Mum's House.

    Ingredients

    • 1-2 packets pone yay gyi
    • Fried garlic
    • Fried shallot
    • A few thin slivers fresh garlic
    • Thinly sliced fresh shallot
    • Fresh chillies
    • Peanut, sesame, shallot, and/or garlic oil
    Directions/Method

    1. Mix the pone yay gyi paste with fresh/fried garlic, fresh shallot, chillies, and some oil. Top with more oil and fried shallots, if desired. Serve with jasmine rice.
    • Author: Kip Dorrell
    • Serves: 1-2 with rice
    • Cuisine: Burmese

    Share this Pone Yay Gyi recipe on Pinterest

    Share Pone Yay Gyi on Pinterest

    More Snacks and Sides

    • Thai fried tofu with sweet peanut dipping sauce
    • Sago and coconut pancakes with melted palm sugar
    • Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
    • Thai Herbal Fried Peanuts (Tua Tod Samun Prai )

    Reader Interactions

    I reserve the right to improve any malicious and trollish comments left below. Please do not comment about nonvegan products or activities.

    Comments

    1. Khin Khin Su

      September 30, 2019 at 12:23 pm

      Could you be able to share the making of Pone-Yay-Gyi?
      It would be so great to know how to make Pone-Yay-Gyi at home where it’s very difficult to reach for fresh one.
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Kip

        September 30, 2019 at 3:57 pm

        I haven't made it myself yet, but I know it is made by fermenting horse gram beans with salt. Kirsten Shockey talks through the steps in her book Miso, Tempeh, Natto & Other Tasty Ferments.

        Reply
    2. James

      January 07, 2021 at 6:41 pm

      How many grams are in one packet of Pone Yay Gyi?

      Reply
      • Kip

        January 08, 2021 at 11:32 am

        Hi James,

        I don't remember exactly but it's a small amount. A few tablespoons, perhaps.

        Reply
    3. I reserve the right to improve malicious and trollish comments.

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Name's Kip. Some things about me: vegan, Thai food enthusiast, comfortably chaotic and disorganised, information lover, Londoner, cookbook collector, clumsy AF, rarely takes a serious photo, has never been on a diet. This is not a wellness blog.

    More about me →

    • All recipes
    • Thai food + travel
    • General travel
    • Reviews
    • Food facts
    • Thai winged bean salad (yam tua pu)
    • How to Make Vegan Fish with Okara
    Vegan Thai Recipes
    Vegan Travel in Thailand
    Kippysnacks logo

    I run vegan Thai supper clubs at my home in East London.

    Think Like a Vegan

    Think Like a Vegan Book

    A thoughtful read for long time vegans and nonvegans alike, this is one of the best styles of arguing for and discussing veganism I have yet to find. Highly recommended reading.

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Privacy policy
    • Relationships and disclosures
    • Comments Policy
    • PR and Review Policy
    • Freelance and Consultancy

    Contact

    Email me
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Newsletter

    All content on this site, including, but not limited to, text, recipes, and photographs are owned by Messy Vegan Cook and its contributors. No content may be reprinted or reproduced without permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 Messy Vegan Cook