Laotian cuisine

Laotian cuisine is the cuisine of Laos, which is distinct from other Southeast Asian cuisines. Laos shares borders with neighboring countries and as a result, Laotian cuisine has strongly influenced the neighboring cuisine of Northeastern Thailand (Isan) and some Laotian culinary influences have also reached Cambodia and Northern Thailand (Lanna). The staple food of Laotians is sticky rice eaten by hand. Galangal, lemongrass and padaek (Laotian fish sauce) are important ingredients. The most famous Laotian dish is Larb (; sometimes also spelled laap), a spicy mixture of marinated meat and/or fish that is sometimes raw (prepared like ceviche) with a variable combination of herbs, greens, and spices. Another Laotian staple dish is a spicy green papaya salad dish known as tam mak hoong () or tam som.

Laotian cuisine has many regional variations, according in part to the fresh foods local to each region. A French legacy is also apparent in the capital city, Vientiane, such that baguettes are sold on the street, and French restaurants (often with a naturally Laotian, Asian-fusion touch) are common and popular.

Ingredients

Galangal: (, Isan: ข่า, ), typically used in soups, mixed dishes and marinades Kaffir lime: (, maak-khii-huut), typically used in soups and stews Lemon grass: (, hua sing-khai), used in soups, stews and marinades Shallots Laotian eggplant: ( ), small and round Kermit eggplant, used in stews or eaten raw Papaya (green): (, Isan: มักหุ่ง, ), shredded and used in spicy papaya salad. Tamarind: (, Isan: ใบหมากขาม, ), sour fruit used in soups or as a snack. Tamarind leaf: ( used in soups

Cha-om (acacia): used in soups, curries, omelettes, and stir-fries

Coriander (cilantro): (, Isan: ผักซี, ), both leaves and seeds added to dips, marinades, and a wide variety of dishes. Chile pepper: (, Isan: พริก, ), seven popular types Laotian basil: eaten raw with pho Mint: , Isan: ใบสะระแหน่, ), used in goy/laap, and eaten raw

Laotian coriander: ("Laotian dill"), used in stews and eaten raw

Lemon basil: แมงลัก used in soups and stews

Garlic: (, Isan: กระเทียม, ) Ginger root: (, Isan: ขิง, ) Banana flower: (, Isan: หมากปี, ), a raw accompaniment to noodle soup or cooked in others.

Ginger flower

Bamboo shoots: (, Isan: หน่อไม้, ), used in stews or boiled as a side dish

Rattan shoots: typically used in stews (bitter)

Mushrooms: (, Isan: เห็ด, ), used in soups and stir-fries. Yanang leaf: (, Isan: ใบย่านาง, ), used as a green colouring agent and as a seasoning or thickener for soups and stews. Turkey berry: (, Isan: หมากแค้ง, ), Solanum torvum, typically used in stews and curries. Yard long beans: (, Isan: หมากถั่ว, IPA: maːk tʰua), eaten raw, in stews, and can be made into a spicy bean salad (tam mak thoua). Phak kadao: (, Isan: ผักกะเดา, ), Azadirachta indica or neem, a bitter vegetable often eaten raw.

Phak lin may: a bitter green, eaten raw

Wild betel leaves: (, Isan: ผักอีเลิด, ), Piper sarmentosum, a green, eaten raw Scarlet wisteria: (, Isan: ดอกแค, ) Sesbania grandiflora, blossom eaten as vegetable in soups and curries. Phak bong: (, Isan: ผักบุ้ง, ), Ipomoea aquatica, stir-fried, steamed, or eaten as raw vegetable accompaniment. Nam pa: clear fish sauce (, Isan: น้ำปลา, ), used as a general condiment. Padaek: (, Isan: ปลาแดก, ), Laotian-style fish paste.

"Three-layer pork": pork belly

Dried water buffalo skin: used in jaew bong and stews

Sa khan: stem of Piper ribesioides, used in stews

Kaipen: (, Isan: ไกแผ่น, ), dried sheets of edible Mekong River algae, similar to nori. Lime: (, Isan: หมากนาว, ), common ingredient to many dishes. Tomato: (, Isan: หมากเล่น, ), eaten as a garnish item or in papaya salad. Cucumber: (, Isan: หมากแตง, ), eaten as a garnish or as a substitute for green papaya in salad.

Kitchen utensils

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The typical Laotian stove, or brazier, is called a tao-lo and is fueled by charcoal. It is shaped like a bucket, with room for a single pot or pan to sit on top. The wok, maw khang in Lao, is used for frying and stir frying. Sticky rice is steamed inside of a bamboo basket, a huad, which sits on top of a pot, which is called the maw nung.

A large, deep mortar called a khok is used for pounding tam mak hoong and other foods. It is indispensable in the Laotian kitchen.

Cooking methods

Grilling, boiling, stewing, steaming, searing and mixing (as in salads) are all traditional cooking methods. Stir-frying is now common, but considered to be a Chinese influence. Stews are often green in color, because of the large proportion of vegetables used as well as ya nang leaf. Soups are categorized as follows, tom, tom jeud, keng, and keng soua. Keng is soup that contains ginger and padek, and keng soua is keng that contains both galangal and ginger. Tom Jeud is mild soup that isn't flavored with strong spices.

"Ping" means grilled. It is a favorite cooking method. Ping gai is grilled chicken, ping sin is grilled meat, and ping pa is grilled fish. Before grilling, the meat is typically seasoned with minced garlic, minced coriander root, minced galangal, salt, soy sauce, and fish sauce, each in varying quantities, if at all, according to preference. Laotians seem to prefer a longer grilling at lower heat. The result is grilled meat that is typically drier than what Westerners are accustomed to. Laotians probably prefer their food this way, because they wish to keep their hands dry and clean for handling sticky rice. They also typically eat the grilled food with a hot sauce (chaew) of some sort, which takes away the dryness.

Laotian food differs from neighboring cuisines in multiple respects. One is that the Laotian meal almost always includes a large quantity of fresh raw greens, vegetables and herbs served undressed on the side. Another is that savory dishes are never sweet. "Sweet and sour" is generally considered bizarre and foreign in Laos. Yet another is that some dishes are bitter. There is a saying in Laotian cuisine, "van pen lom; khom pen ya," which can be translated as, "sweet makes you dizzy; bitter makes you healthy." A couple of the green herbs favored in Laotian cuisine but generally ignored by their neighbors are mint and dill, both of paramount importance. Galangal is a cooking herb that is heavily favored in Laos, unlike in neighboring countries. It appears in probably the majority of Laotian dishes, along with the conventional herbs: garlic, shallots, lemongrass, etc. Another distinctive characteristic of Laotian food or more properly, Laotian eating habits, is that food is frequently eaten at room temperature. This may be attributable to the fact that Laotian food served with sticky rice is traditionally handled by hand.

Eating customs

The traditional manner of eating was communal, with diners sitting on a reed mat on the wooden floor around a raised platform woven out of rattan called a ka toke. Dishes are arranged on the ka toke, which is of a standard size. Where there are many diners, multiple ka tokes will be prepared. Each ka toke will have one or more baskets of sticky rice, which is shared by all the diners at the ka toke.

In recent times, eating at a ka toke is the exception rather than the rule. The custom is maintained, however, at temples, where each monk is served his meal on a ka toke. Once food is placed on the "ka toke" it becomes a "pha kao." In modern homes, the term for preparing the table for a meal is still taeng pha kao, or prepare the phah kao.

Traditionally, spoons were used only for soups and white rice, and chopsticks were used only for noodles. Most food was handled by hand. The reason this custom evolved is probably due to the fact that sticky rice can only be easily handled by hand.

Laotian meals typically consist of a soup dish, a grilled dish, a sauce, greens, and a stew or mixed dish (koy or laap). The greens are usually fresh raw greens, herbs and other vegetables, though depending on the dish they accompany, they could also be steamed or more typically, parboiled. Dishes are not eaten in sequence; the soup is sipped throughout the meal. Beverages, including water, are not typically a part of the meal. When guests are present, the meal is always a feast, with food made in quantities sufficient for twice the number of diners. For a host, not having enough food for guests would be humiliating.

The custom is to close the rice basket when one is finished eating.

Dip

Jaew Mak Khua: Dips made from roasted eggplant

Jaew Mak Len: Dips made from roasted sweet tomatoes

Jaew Bong: sweet and spicy Laotian paste made with roasted chilies, pork skin, galangal and other ingredients.

Appetizers

Kaipen: fried snack made of fresh water algae, usually served with jaew bong

Miang

Laotian meatball

Khua Pak Bong

Yor

som moo: pickled pork ("ham")

som pa: pickled fish

som khai pa: pickled fish roe

som phak kad: pickled greens

Laotian sausage(sai kok): chunky pork sausage

sai ua

Laotian beef jerky: flash-fried beef

khai khuam: stuffed eggs "upside down"

seen tork

Salads

larb: a spicy meat salad (Lao: ລາບ, Isan: ลาบ, )

Larb Pa: Laotian-style fish salad

Larb Ped

Larb Gai

Larb Muh

Larb Ngua

tam mak hoong (Lao: ຕໍາໝາກຫຸ່ງ, Isan: ตำบักหุ่ง, ): green papaya salad

pon: spicy puree of cooked fish

raw banana salad

yard long bean salad

(Tam Mak taeng)Cucumber salad: Laotian-style spicy cucumber salad

Stew

or lam: Luang Prabang style green vegetable stew

or: green vegetable stew

kaeng nor mai (Lao: ຊຸບໜໍ່ໄມ່, Isan: ฃุบหน่อไม้, ): green bamboo stew

tom padaek: fish stewed in padaek

kaeng kalee: Laotian curry

Grilling dishes

ping gai: grilled chicken (ປິງໄກ່, , Isan: ไก่ย่าง, )

ping pa: grilled fish mixed with Spiced and Herbs.

ping sin: dry grilled beef

Steaming dishes

mok pa: fish steamed in banana leaf

mok gai: chicken steamed in banana leaf

mok khai

mok kai pa

ua dok kae

Titi Gai - Steak in a banana leaf wrap

Rice

nam khao: fried rice ball salad and lettuce wraps

khao khua: Laotian-style fried rice

khao ping or khao chee: baked sticky rice seasoned with eggs. The word khao chee is also used for bread.

khao piak: Laotian porridge

khao niao: steamed sticky rice

Noodles

khao piak sen: Laotian noodle soup

khao poon: rice vermicelli soup

mee kati

mee num

pad Lao: stir-fried noodles in sweet sauce

pad sen lon: stir-fried glass noodles

yum sen lon: tangy salad made with glass noodles

khua mee: pan-fried rice noodles

lard na: stir-fried noodles covered in gravy

Desserts

num wahn: Directly translates to 'sweet water'

khao pard

khao tom: steamed rice wrapped in banana leaf

khao khohp

khanom maw kaeng: coconut custard cake

sweet steamed pumpkin

Fruits: water melon, pineapple, sugar apple (custard apple or sweetsop), longan, mango, rose apple (water apple), banana, jackfruit, rambutan, young coconut, orange, sweet tamarind, papaya, durian, sugarcane, pomelo, sapodilla, guava, star apple, mangosteen, melon, santol, langsat, grapes, corossolier (soursop), mak yom, mak num nom

Drinks

non-alcoholic

Num Mak Nao

Num Pun

Sugar Cane Juice

Fruit juice

coconut juice

Coffee

alcoholic

beerlao

lau-khao

lau-lao (Laotian whisky)

lau-hai

Beverages

Laotian coffee is often called Pakxong coffee (cafe pakxong in Lao), which is grown on the Bolovens Plateau around the town of Pakxong. This area is sometimes said to be the best place in Southeast Asia for coffee cultivation. Both robusta and arabica are grown in Laos, and if you ask for arabica, there is a very good chance the proprietor will know what you are talking about. Most of the arabica in Laos is consumed locally and most of the robusta is exported to Thailand, where it goes into Nescafé. The custom in Laos is to drink coffee in glasses, with condensed milk in the bottom, followed by a chaser of green tea. The highly-regarded tea is also grown on the Bolovens Plateau.

There are two general types of traditional alcoholic beverages, both produced from rice: lao hai and lao lao. Lao hai means jar alcohol and is served from an earthen jar. It is communally and competitively drunk through straws at festive occasions. It can be likened to sake in appearance and flavor. Lao lao or Laotian alcohol is more like a whiskey. It is also called lao khao or, in English, white alcohol. However, there is also a popular variant of lao lao made from purple rice, which has a pinkish hue.

In more recent times, the Laotian state-owned brewery's Beerlao has become ubiquitous in Laos and is highly regarded by expatriates and residents alike. The Bangkok Post has described it as the Dom Perignon of Asian beers. In 2004, Time magazine described it as Asia's best beer. In June 2005, it beat 40 other brews to take the silver prize at Russia's Osiris Beer Festival, which it had entered for the first time.

See also

Phia Sing

Further reading

Xaixana Champanakone (2010). "Lao Cooking and The Essence of Life". Vientiane Publishing ISBN 978-9932-00-001-2

References

External links

Lao Cuisine - Flavours of Laos

Lao Cuisine on No Reservation

Tastes and Markets of Laos

The Lao Cook

Lao Gastronomy

New York Times Article on Lao food

Excerpts from Traditional Recipes of Laos

Article on Lao coffee

Another Article on Lao coffee

wokme.com Asian Cooking Guide - Laotian Cuisine

Some Lao recipes from the Boat Landing

Video instructions on Thai & Lao food recipes

Difference between Lao and Thai food

about the book "Food from Northern Laos - The Boat Landing Cookbook"

Introduction to "Lao Cooking and The Essence of Life"