Naem Khao is a crispy coconut rice salad tossed with naem and enjoyed as a lettuce wrap. What is Naem? Naem is a fermented pork sausage. It can be hard to find especially during a pandemic and time consuming to make. So to substitute, we can use ham and cooked pork skin slices instead. This can be found in the freezer section of any Asian grocery store. To get the sour flavor of naem, the ham and sliced pork skin is soaked in lime juice and garlic cloves for at least an hour. You can even ... continue reading...
Khao Nom Kok – Coconut Rice Cakes ເຂົ້າຫນົມຄົກ
YumKhao Nom Kok is a popular street food dessert in Laos and Thailand (Kanom Krok). These bite sized desserts are sweet coconut semi sphere cakes that will melt in your mouth. A little crispy on the outside and smooth on the inside. What Are They Made Of? Khao Nom Kok is made out of rice flour, tapioca starch, coconut milk, sugar, salt and oil. Simple ingredients that are whisked together to make a smooth batter. Toppings The most classic topping is chopped green onions. You can also ... continue reading...
Lao Larb Moo – Lao Pork Salad ລາບໝູ
YumLarb is a Lao meat salad. “Moo” means pork, so Larb Moo is a pork salad. It is regarded as the unofficial national dish of Laos. A spicy salad loaded with fresh herbs and aromatic due to the khao khua or toasted sticky rice powder. It’s high in protein, gluten free and so tasty. It’s also super simple to make! Ingredients for Larb The most important ingredient and one that you can not skip is Khao Khua (toasted sticky rice powder). You can buy it or you can make it at home. Simply toast ... continue reading...
Sukiyaki Sauce
YumSukiyaki is hot pot dish where everyone gathers around to dip thin slices of beef, seafood, vegetables and glass noodles into the center pot of boiling broth. It's a really fun and tasty way to enjoy a meal with family and friends on a cold day. The Laotian version of sukiyaki is very different to Japanese sukiyaki. The sauce is thick and rich with tofu, shrimp and peanut flavors. And of course, it's spicy but you can adjust the level of spiciness. It truly is the highlight of the ... continue reading...
Tapioca Dumplings – Sakoo Yat Sai ສະຄູຍັດໃສ້
YumSakoo Yat Sai is a tapioca dumpling filled with caramelized pork, sweet pickled radish and peanuts. We garnish it with fried garlic and serve it with lettuce, cilantro and fried dried red chilies. Simply wrap the tapioca dumplings in the lettuce, cilantro and break off a piece of the fried chillie. The sweet, savory and spiciness will awaken all your tastebuds. The chewiness from the tapioca and the crunch from the peanuts will make it bite to remember. Preparing The Filling The ... continue reading...
Kao Poon Nam Gai – ເຂົ້າປຸ້ນນໍ້າໄກ່
YumHappy New Year Everyone! For my first post of the year and since it's cold outside, I thought I'd share with you a popular Lao noodle soup called Kao Poon Nam Gai. What is Kao Poon Nam Gai? It's essentially a red curry noodle soup with chicken and bamboo. "Kao Poon" means rice noodles, "Nam Gai" means chicken broth. Many Lao people also like to include pork blood cubes and chicken feet. If it's not your thing, you can skip these optional ingredients and just serve it with rice ... continue reading...
Curry Crab- ກະປູກະຫລີ່
YumCurry crab is delicious and so easy to make. I usually serve this on special occasions because let's face it, crab ain't cheap! Where to buy king crab I usually buy king crab legs from Costco because they're huge and so meaty! Another good thing is that they're already cooked. You could use a fresh whole dungeness crab if you wanted to. I have to say, nothing is better than fresh seafood, but I do dread the part where you have to kill it and then clean it. If you choose to use fresh crab, boil ... continue reading...
Lao Shrimp Salad Wonton Cups
YumI made these tasty Lao Shrimp Salad Wonton Cups for my friend's dinner party. It's super easy to make and was a huge hit at the party. I wanted to create something that was elegant, easy to eat and serve. I thought why not put Lao shrimp salad in a wonton cup! What's more elegant than shrimp and what's easier to eat than food in a wonton cup? To make the wonton cups, all you need is a package of wonton wrappers, muffin tin and cooking spray. First preheat the oven to 325°F. Next, spray the ... continue reading...
Viengthong Restaurant – Seattle, WA
YumWhen visiting and exploring new cities, my husband and I always crave Lao food. Recently, we visited Seattle for a few days. We spent a considerable amount of time exploring and eating all the delicious foods at Pike Place. So by the 3rd day, we were ready to find a Lao restaurant to refresh our tastebuds. We found a Lao Restaurant called Viengthong, about 10 minutes from downtown Seattle. This restaurant had a good number of positive reviews on yelp and the menu had many authentic Lao ... continue reading...
Jeow Mak Len – Lao Tomato Dipping Sauce – ແຈ່ວຫມາກເລັ່ນ
YumJeow Mak Len - Laotian tomato dipping sauce. It is a spicy Lao sauce and I call it the Lao version of a tomato salsa, except it is seasoned with fish sauce. The number of chilies will depend on your spice tolerance. I used 15 and that was a medium hot level. To make this mouth watering sauce. First, you start with roasting the ingredients until you get them nicely charred. Charring the vegetables will give it extra flavor. There's no need to take peel the garlic or shallots. To make the ... continue reading...
Yum Talay – Spicy Seafood Salad – ຍຳທະເລ
YumYum Talay is a spicy seafood salad. Yum means to combine hot and sour ingredients. Talay means the sea. I love anything spicy and seafood. I mean, what an amazing combination for the palate! This is by far my favorite salad, next to papaya salad. It has as similar taste to papaya salad, spicy, sour, sweet and salty. The flavors are perfectly balanced and compliments the seafood. It's all about the dressing. One of the key ingredients is tamarind concentrate. Tamarind is a sweet and sour ... continue reading...
Lao Heavenly Beef Jerky – ຊີ້ນສະຫວັນ
YumHeavenly beef jerky or Seen Savanh is a sweet and savory jerky perfect for a high protein snack. Seen in Lao means meat, savanh means heaven. It's finger licking good and is perfect with sticky rice and lunch on the go. To begin with, you want to select beef that has little fat. I used ribeye and asked the butcher to slice it into very thin slices. Back in the old days, my mum would line a table with foil and lay the beef slices flat. The table would be positioned so that it got maximum sun ... continue reading...
Mango sticky rice – ເຂົ້າຫນຽວຫມາກມ່ວງ
YumSummer is here and so is Mango season! Which means we get to make lots of mango sticky rice. Mango sticky rice is popular dessert in Laos and other Asian countries. The mangoes have to be fully ripened for them to be super sweet. For me, the type of mango makes a huge difference. I usually get the Manila mangoes. They are the yellow ones and a little longer and flatter in appearance. I prefer this type of mango because it’s less fibrous and super sweet. Plus, I can usually score an awesome deal ... continue reading...
Patongo – ປະຕັ່ງໂກ
YumPatongo is a crispy and hollow Chinese Donut. Chinese people call them youtiao or char kuay. They are common in many Asian countries and have many different names. They look more like breadsticks and is kind of like a Chinese fried churro. Lao people enjoy these delicious fried pastries in their kao piek sen (chicken noodle soup), porridge or for breakfast with coffee. My favorite way of eating it is to dip it in condensed milk. As with anything that is deep fried, these crispy hollow bread ... continue reading...
Kao Piak Sen – Lao Chicken Noodle Soup ເຂົ້າປຽກເສັ້ນ
YumWhen the weather is gloomy and raining, there is nothing I crave more than Kao Piak Sen. It is the Laotian version of chicken noodle soup and it is one of my favorite comfort foods. There is nothing like home made soup to warm you up on a cold day. It is commonly eaten as a breakfast dish, but I could have this any time of the day! This dish requires very simple ingredients and with the help of the Kitchen Aid Mixer and the dough hook attachment, the noodles are so easy to make. The mixer ... continue reading...