During my visit to Laos earlier this year I found one thing in common with all my relatives. They all have a kitchen away from the main house. Even the relatives in Vientiane living in a big house with all the comforts of a modern home have an old fashion stove outside the house, rather [...]
Wing beans are bright green beans in length of about 6 to 9 inches long. Wing beans are often served raw with green papaya salad and with jeow or chili pepper dipping sauce. The taste is similar to string beans but blander and starchier.
Maak Thua Hair or pigeon pea is often eaten raw with pon pa, laap pa, or with jeow (chili peppers dipping sauce).
Water Spinach, known in Lao cooking as phak bong or Ong Choy in Chinese. It is great for stir fry, steamed or served raw as a side vegetable. Water spinach has a nice crunchy taste with nutritious values like spinach. It is such a common plant in Lao cooking and often served raw next to [...]
There are different varieties of Mak Kua or Lao aubergine (eggplant) used in Lao cooking. You can use Lao aubergine in curry and stew, or served raw with other vegetables.
Shallots are small bulbs of the onion family. They are used for flavoring in many Lao dishes. Raw shallots add intense but not too powering flavor to a Laap dish. Finely chopped shallots blend well with other herbs and spices in red curry paste for Khao Phoon Narm Kati (Lao rice vermicelli soup).
Chive flowers are well known in Lao and Asian cuisine. I am only familiar with the use of chive flowers in soup and stir fry in Lao cooking.
There are assortments of chili peppers used in Lao cooking, ranging from mild to strong intensity. The hottest parts of the chili peppers are the seeds, due to substances known as capsaicin.
For many of us living in the western world, we are familiar with Laos galanga roots or in powder form. When we were living in Laos, we had a few galanga plants growing on hour land. They are easy to grow and care for and would spread like weed.
I was so happy to have found brown rice vermicelli at the local Chinese grocery store. I think it’s a healthier choice for me than the usual white sticky rice kind.
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