Burmese Tea Leaf Salad (Lahpet Thoke)

Directions

1. TEA LEAVES FERMENTATION: Sort tea leaves and remove any twigs or hard pieces.
2. Boil vinegar and water. Steep tea leaves in liquid for at least 10 minutes. Then, drain and rinse.
3. Soak tea leaves in cold water for 1 hour. Then, drain and squeeze out any excess liquid.
4. In a food processor, add tea leaves, sesame oil, avocado oil, Maggi seasoning, fish sauce, lemon, ginger, garlic cloves, and sea salt. Process the tea leaf mixture until the leaves are finely minced into a paste. Store in an airtight glass container in a cool and dark place at room temperature for 2 days.
5. PLATING SALAD: On a plate, place chopped romaine lettuce, tomatoes and lemon wedges. Place each of the remaining ingredients on the salad (sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, roasted peanuts and fried garlic). Add a LARGE scoop of fermented tea leaf paste to the center of the plate (add more if necessary).
6. Just before serving, squeeze a lemon over the salad and toss together!