10 Most Popular Foods in Laos

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Laotian cuisine is vivid, colorful, and full of herbs and chilies, with flavors that tantalize your taste buds. Laos cuisine is named after a former northern province called Lao, which is now part of China. Laotian cuisine became ingrained in Northern Thai cuisine.

In reality, Laotian cuisine has significantly affected Thai cuisine, even though it has never got acknowledged. Hence here are ten must-try Laos dishes for you to try or make at home.

1. Kaipen

Kaipen is a Laotian treat. Kaipen is a local delicacy in LuangPrabang, Laos, made in the country’s north. The green algae are known as kai which were collected from the bottom of the river. It is cleaned and mashed, usually in pure water outside the river, before being cut into blocks.

Recipe for Kaipen

2. Laap

Laap is a simple ‘meat salad,’ one of the most popular Laotian dishes. The term “laap” really refers to any meat cooked right after it has been butchered. The chef would frequently shred the meat before rapidly frying it with fish sauce, fresh herbs, lime juice, and roasted sticky rice granules.

Recipe for Laap

3. KhaoSoiLuangPrabang

KhaoSoi from Laos is among the world’s finest kept secrets when it comes to noodle bowls. It features a delicious garlic-dominated tomato meat stew that adds texture and aroma to the meal. It looks like pasta sauce on top of pho rice noodles. However, KhaoSoi is extremely easy and inexpensive to prepare.

Recipe for KhaoSoiLuangPrabang

4. Hua MooLuangPrabang

This serving contains a big sausage cooked with minced pork, lemongrass, ginger, chilies, shallots, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, and a small amount of sticky rice to provide texture and help the mixture last longer. It’s grilled and seasoned with fish sauce and sugar before being sliced and served with sauces and sticky rice.

Recipe for Hua moo LuangPrabang

5. Jaew

Any dipping sauce can be referred to as Jaew. These meals almost always include chili peppers and grilled vegetables, which give them a unique smoky taste and fermented fish. It is one of Laos’ most popular dishes, served with sticky rice or veggies.

Recipe for Jaew

6. Tom MakHoong

Green papaya, aubergine, the skin of Laos olives, and cherry tomatoes got paired with a sauce of lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, chili, and a sprinkle of Mekong shrimp paste for the right mix of spice, salt, sweet, and sour. It comes with sticky rice and raw cabbage.

Recipe for Tom MakHoong

7. Koi Pa

Chopped fresh raw fish is soaked in lime & rice vinegar, then eaten with fish sauce, banana blossom, scallions, cilantro, and a pinch of sugar. Koi Pa is commonly served with grilled fish in restaurants, but our favorite variation uses marinated slivers plucked fresh from the Mekong, presented in ceviche-style.

Recipe for Koi Pa

8. Tum Khao Poon

This ‘dry soup’ is similar to quick vermicelli in Laos. It contains chicken stock, fish sauce, lime juice, and maybe some chili –along with steamed pork, beansprouts, long beans, watercress, sliced morning glory, banana blossoms, chili sauce, and peanuts. You can make it into a salad as well.

Recipe for Tum Khao Poon

9. Lam

Lam is a Laos dish that has been passed down through generations. The Mai Sakahn is one of the distinctive components, which is generally prepared with an ox. It’s a spicy wood chili vine with a mild numbing effect on the tongue. This stew is excellent and enhances the flavor of the padauk unfiltered fish sauce.

Recipe for Lam

10. KhaoJee Pay-Tay

KhaoJee Pay-Tay is comparable to bánhmee in Vietnam. The bread is baguette-like and is divided into halves and covered with pork liver pate, and topped with pork sausage, papaya slices, carrots, onions, cucumber, cilantro, and a little touch of chili sauce.

Recipe for KhaoJee Pay-Tay

Sources

Wikipedia

Taste Atlas

Migrationology