Top 10 Laotian dishes you absolutely must try

While Laotian cuisine does not have the same reputation as its Thai and Vietnamese neighbors, it is nonetheless a cuisine that is highly appreciated for its freshness, creativity, originality and of course its spiciness. Treat yourself during your next trip to Laos by tasting these 10 Laotian culinary successes.

Green papaya salad

Green papaya salad is one of the emblematic dishes of Laos where it is called Tam mak hung (etymologically the fruit of the papaya tree). This salad, found everywhere in the country, is generally composed of green papaya, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, sliced carrots, garlic, fish sauce, lime and crushed peanuts. Strong in taste, this salad is very appreciated for its freshness and lightness. Be careful, however, to ask that it is not too spicy!!!

Sticky rice

Sticky rice is perfect to accompany the green papaya salad. It is the staple food of Laotians, who consume almost exclusively this type of rice. It is eaten at every meal and accompanies almost all dishes except soups. It is a special variety of rice that, after being soaked, is steamed in a conical bamboo basket. Once cooked, the rice is placed in a small bamboo basket from which one serves oneself with one's hand.

Laap

Here is another popular dish in Laos, Laap or minced beef, pork, duck or fish. Laap is a traditional salad composed of minced meat garnished with small onions, mint and coriander, lemon juice and assorted red peppers. This is an essential dish that will put your taste buds in all their states and take you on a spicy culinary discovery!

Nem thadeua

This is a typical Laotian salad of crispy rice to which we add fermented pork mixed with thin strips of slightly elastic rind, vegetables, and peanuts. The salad is eaten wrapped in a lettuce leaf with mint, coriander, fermented fish sauce, lime and coarsely crushed peanuts. Perfect with a good cold Lao beer!

Mok

You will melt with pleasure with this Lao dish full of flavors. A specialty of the charming city of Luang Prabang listed by UNESCO, Mok consists of a ball of fish and fish mousse with lemongrass and coconut milk stewed in a banana leaf. A slightly spicy recipe, which is rare, very fragrant and light. This dish can be enjoyed on the banks of the Mekong while watching the sunset behind the mountains.

Khao poun

A very popular dish among Laotians, Khao poun is a spicy rice vermicelli soup topped with a coconut milk broth, in which minced pork or fish are cooked together. The broth is seasoned with kaffir lime leaves, galangal, garlic, shallots, chili peppers and crushed peanuts. Chopped vegetables, such as bamboo shoots or banana flowers and other herbs such as mint and coriander.

O-Lam

A traditional dish and gastronomic specialty of Luang Prabang, O-Lam is a simmered dish that contains no less than 15 ingredients including meat (buffalo or beef, pork, chicken or wild boar), dried and braised buffalo rind, lemongrass, green and round eggplants, peas called mark kheng, dried black mushrooms, sakhane wood cut into quarters which gives a spicy taste and a fragrant smell, long green beans, young zucchini and pumpkin leaves, basil, dill, green onions, fresh chili pepper and finally fried pork rind gratons. A must-try if you are passing through Luang Prabang.

Kai ping

Another very common dish that can be found on many street BBQs. It is simply a fragrant grilled chicken brushed with oil, soy, and lemongrass, then stuck between two bamboo to brown them on the embers. Once well grilled, the chicken is removed from the bamboo tongs, and cut into pieces that are then dipped in a sauce mixed with salt, pepper, and lemongrass. Combines perfectly with a green papaya salad and sticky rice.

Tom yam koung

A classic of Laotianand Thai cuisine that has been popularized around the world. The words tom yam come from two Thai words: tom which refers to the action of boiling, while yam is a spicy and sour Thai salad. Tom yam soup is a spicy soup cooked with different spices and herbs generously used in the broth which gives it spicy flavors. Traditionally, the basic ingredients of the broth are lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, lemon juice, fish sauce and crushed chili peppers. It can be shared with several people for a great moment of conviviality!

Khao lam

Let's end our culinary odyssey in Laos on a sweet note, to appease our taste buds with this spicy celebration, with this typically Laotian dessert. A simple but effective dessert which consists of cooking sticky rice mixed with sweetened coconut milk in a hollowed-out bamboo. The bamboo filled with coconut rice is placed directly on the flame. Once the rice is cooked, we enjoy the dessert by peeling the bamboo like a banana.

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