Joanna James
The Laotian food has been steadily gaining popularity all over the world because of the rich variety of ingredients and stunning taste that is bound to take your taste palette on an adventure.
Jaew is a dipping sauce that is prepared using grilled vegetables, chilli peppers, a meat dish of your choice and is served alongside vegetables or sticky rice. A mortar and pestle are used to prepare this dish that includes a variety of ingredients that is popular among the Laotian people.
Laap or meat salad is one of the cornerstones of food in Laos. Laap is prepared using freshly butchered meat and sometimes you can consume the meat raw. Meat of your choice will be first minced and then flash fried before fresh herbs, toasted sticky rice powder and lime juice is added to provide a unique flavour. There is a wide variety of meats to choose from but there are lots of restaurants in Laos who specialize in only one meat like fish laap or pork laap.
Or Lam is a Laotian stew prepared using Mai Sakaan (spicy chilli wood as best described in English), animal fat and buffalo skin. Herbs such as holy basils, dill are used to make the soup sticky and thick and the dish is accompanied by a portion of sticky rice. The dish is full of flavour, nutrients and the addition of Mai Sakaan gives this dish a tingly taste; just like Sichuan pepper.
Adding fresh blood to food is a common practice in Laos. Paeng Pet is a dish made using fresh duck blood mixed with loads of Laos spices, minced and cooked duck organs, a mix of local chillies and loads of Laos herbs similar to cilantro, mint and green onions with peanuts and crispy shallots often being added to provide this dish with an additional kick. The fiery hot taste of the chillies mixed when accompanied with a minty flavour of lime juice is one of the best ways to enjoy this dish.
If you want an introduction to Laotian food then this is a great dish to start with. The process of cooking this dish starts with the chef preparing the soup using generous portions of meat-stock and vegetables. Hand rolled rice noodles are cooked in the soup before being the dished served alongside dried crushed peanuts, red peppers and fresh herbs. This dish is served at most of Luang Prabang restaurants, street food vendors and also at upscale hotels similar to AVANI+ Luang Prabang.
The difference between the variation of the Khao Soi dish prepared in Thailand and Laos can be tasted instantly as the Laotian dish has more of a clean meaty taste than the Thai dish; the reason being it prepared without coconut nut milk. The chef will use charcoal fire to slow cook minced pork for hours before adding mortar and pestle crushed herbs, roasted chilli and chilli oils on top.
Tam is one of Laos' staple dishes that is always served with sticky rice. This dish is prepared using a variety of shredded or sliced fresh raw fruits that are crushed using a large mortar and pestle. Remember to order fermented fish sauce as adding it on top of this dish gives it an extra kick. This dish tweaked over the year to create many variations similar to Tam Mak Kluay and Tam Mak Hoong.
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