Inn Lay Daytha Htwet Munt Ni Kyaw
#getgoing2025
Munt Ni Kyaw (မုန့်နီကြော်), known in other parts of Myanmar as Munt Si Kyaw (မုန့်ဆီကြော်) [fried snack/fritter], is the subject of this story.
This is about a business in Ywar Thit Village, part of Ywar Tha Village Group, that has been making this snack for over 60 years, passed down through family generations.
From grandmother Daw Aye Kyi and her daughter Daw Nyein Yin, the business is now run by Ma Mee and Ma Bhote Hson, representing the fourth generation. Besides Munt Si Kyaw, they are also famous for In Munt Lone (အင်းမုန့်လုံး) [a type of Inle snack].
Pauk Pauk (ပေါက်ပေါက်) [popped rice], made from Inle paddy seeds that are roasted and popped, is another of their popular products, selling very well. It is often used in ceremonies, offerings to spirits, and "Nat Lan Khin Chin" (နတ်လမ်းခင်းခြင်း) [laying out offerings for spirits].
In Nyaung Shwe, this snack is well-known as Kan Taw Munt (ကန်တော့မုန့်) [offering snack]. It's a key part of preparing offerings for the revered "Sone Taw Oak" (ဆွမ်းတော်အုပ်) [offering bowl] at local religious sites. The Munt Si Kyaw, shaped in both long and round forms, is placed on top of beautifully prepared white fried rice (San Lone Si Kyaw - ဆန်လုံးစီကြော်). It is highly sought after and widely known.
They primarily produce these snacks during three seasonal periods: Thingyan (သင်္ကြန်) [around April], Waso Full Moon (ဝါဆိုလပြည့်) [usually July], and Tan Khu La (တန်ခူးလ) [around March/April].
These snacks are popular for offerings, spirit propitiation, and as treats for people, especially during Shin Pyu Pwe (ရှင်ပြုပွဲ) [novitiation ceremonies]. They have a strong local market. During the "Sar Pyan Pwe" (စာပြန်ပွဲတော်) [religious examinations], they prepare and sell large quantities of Pauk Pauk for "Nat Lan Khin Chin."
Munt Ni Kyaw (or Munt Si Kyaw) is made using Shwe Yin Aye (ရွှေရင်အေး) rice flour from the Inle region, jaggery (palm sugar), and pure peanut oil, focusing on natural ingredients. They are very careful to use clean oil for frying.
The writer expresses the hope that these local products will not only be known within Myanmar but also globally as high-quality Myanmar products, aiming to improve and expand their market reach.