Lao Cuisine

Archive for the ‘Lao cuisine’ Category

Add Some Spice Into Your Life

Oct 14th, 2009 by Exotissimo | Comments: 0

When visiting Laos, one cannot help but marvel at the beautiful historical structures that populate the area. The people’s infectious smiles also bright up the day. Once in Laos, one thing you must try is the food. The trip will be incomplete if you fail to do so. It is also very popular in Thailand, especially in the Isaan region (the northeastern part of the country) where many Lao customs and traditions exist.

The main staple of the country’s cuisine is a variation of rice called glutinous rice (or sticky rice). It has a sticky and dry texture to it and is eaten with the hand (usually with the right hand, as is customary).

The most popular dish is the larb. It is a type of minced meat salad (the meat is of your choice, usually) flavored with fish sauce and lime. You will usually see this dish in a typical Lao dinner table. Along with the sticky rice and the larb, there is usually a plate of vegetables, a soup, a grilled dish (chicken and pork are popular choices), and a sauce usually used as a dip for the grilled meat (this sauce can spicy).

If you would like to visit Laos then The Taste Of Laos tour is surely for you. You will see numerous Buddhist structures, see the beautiful natural scenery, and meet hospitable people in their villages. You will also have Lao meals with a chance to learn how to prepare it yourself. By the time you go back home, you will realize what makes this country so charming as well as impressing your friends by cooking them authentic Lao.

: Locals enjoying a quiet Lao meat at a restaurant.

Filed under: Asian Gourmet, Lao cuisine, Laos Travel

Fire and Spice - The Flowering Flavors of Southeast Asia

Mar 27th, 2008 by Exotissimo | Comments: 0

Few regional cuisines can boast the diversity of tastes, colors and aromas of Southeast Asia. From pungent seeds to aromatic bark, a unique host of indigenous plants provide flavor for many of the region’s distinctive dishes.

Lemongrass, for example, a tall tropical grass found throughout Southeast Asia, has a distinctive tangy taste and countless regional dishes exploit its fragrant stalks. Many Thai chefs say it’s the lemongrass that puts the yum in Tom Yum Goong!

Cardamom is another regional ingredient used to flavor since ancient times. The ancient Egyptians chewed cardamom seeds as a tooth cleaner; the Greeks and Romans used it as a perfume, but Southeast Asians now use the expensive aromatic pods in a variety of sweet and savory dishes, and Laos alone exports 400 tons or more of the herb every year via Thailand and China!

Another well-known facet of Southeast Asian cuisine is galangal, or blue ginger. Occurring naturally in Northern Vietnam and Laos, its distinctive earthy aroma and pine-like taste are a common feature of Thai, Vietnamese and Lao cuisine when it is frequently combined with coconut milk as a de-fisher of seafood dishes.

Pepper reached Southeast Asia more than 2000 years ago and has become one of the most widely used spices in the region. Thai cooking has developed a liking for fresh unripe pepper berries, and in Cambodia, black pepper is part of the ubiquitous table condiment tik marij, a mixture of lime juice, salt and freshly ground pepper. Indeed, the Cambodian riverside village of Kampot is renowned for producing one of the finest peppers in the world.

Its generous use of indigenous spices such as lemongrass, cardamom, pepper and galangal as well as other pungent plants - is what makes the traditional cuisine of Southeast Asia so deliciously distinctive.

Enjoy a nourishing journey to the Northern part of Thailand, and take the Lanna Experience Tour for three days to discover traditional living, recipes and ingredients with fun Thai cooking classes.