An introduction to the cuisine of Indochina, Myanmar and Thailand

Culinary travel is a unique way for your clients to experience a country’s culture. Enjoying local food gives the traveller a genuine impression on what a country has to offer. Each Exotissimo destination has a unique cuisine. Rice is the staple grain of the region. It is the original crop that caused the conversion from hunter-gatherer to subsistence farmer in this area; as such it spread across the region before regional cuisines began to evolve. Curries are very common across the region, although perhaps less so in Vietnam where the Chinese influence is strong. Several herbs are common in the region, basil, coriander and various kinds of mint being the most commonly found in the cusine. These herbs grow almost everywhere across tropical and sub-tropical Indochina, while the idea of using them in cooking may have been imported, the actual herbs used are native varieties. This is especially true of Thai basil, with its purple stems and liquorice flavour. Citrus flavours are important to the region's cuisines, especially lime. Last, but certainly not least, are lemon grass and galangal. These two flavours make the cuisines of the region unique. They are undoubtedly of local origin, for they are used nowhere else in the world. Following is a brief introduction to the cusines of Exotissimo’s destinations and a recommendation of one of the best restaurants where typical dishes of the country may be sampled.

Vietnam  has an abundant food supply and complex food preparation which has become an art to the Vietnamese people. Countless restaurants are found throughout the country. It has been said that food is the spiritual glue of a country’s culture; this is especially true in Vietnam. Vietnamese gastronomy incorporates elements from Chinese, Indian, Cambodian and French cuisine yet remains distinctly Vietnamese. Food is generally prepared with minimal oil and served with nuoc mam (Vietnamese fermented fish sauce). Vietnamese food varies from the North to the South of the country; in the north, stir-fry and noodle-based soups show heavy influence of Chinese cooking. The mountainous middle section, with the former Imperial capital, Hue, at its centre, has an abundance of fresh produce. It was in Hue that royal chefs developed the more elaborate dishes of Vietnamese cuisine. The southern region is tropical, sustaining rice paddies, coconut groves, and many more spices than the north. Fish and seafood are common along with various meats.

Wild Rice Restaurant

Wild Rice Restaurant in Hanoi offers exquisite examples of traditional Vietnamese cuisine set in a colonial villa.

Wild Rice Restaurant
6 Ngo Thi Nham (Ham Long), Hanoi
Tel: 04 943 8896

Cambodia  food, heavily influenced by its neighbours, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, is best described as non-spicy Thai food.  The samla (soup), usually prepared with fish, pork or shrimp, is eaten at every meal along with the other dishes. A typical Cambodian meal consists of rice, grilled freshwater fish, fish stuffed with dried prawns, a salad of beef, vegetables, mint, coriander and lemongrass, rice noodles in coconut milk, and even more fish that is wrapped in lettuce and dipped into fish sauce. For dessert, you can expect to be served rice balls that have been stuffed with banana, rice cakes, pastries and pudding. For vegetarians, meals can usually be found in restaurants that serve stir-fried vegetable and rice dishes, though strict vegetarians may have issues with the fish sauces that are served to enhance the food’s flavour.

A good place to enjoy the delights of Cambodian cuisine is the Khmer Surin Restaurant in Phnom Penh.

Khmer Surin Restaurant
No. 9 Street 57 , Phnom Penh

Like Cambodian cuisine,  Laos gastronomy is very similar to Thai, which is always prepared with fresh ingredients, freshwater fish, chicken, pork or beef. In the more rural areas, wild animals such as deer, pigs, squirrels, dogs and birds, are preferred over domesticated animals. This is because, unfortunately for Laos’ diminishing wildlife, the Lao people prefer the taste of wild meat and there is more expense in raising domesticated animals like pigs and chickens. To season their food, the Lao add MSG (to enhance the flavour), lime juice, lemon grass, coriander, tamarind juice, coconut milk and a lot of chilli peppers to their dishes. A very common Lao dish is laap, a salad of fowl or fish tossed with lime juice, garlic and other herbs and spices, which is wrapped with sticky rice in a lettuce leaf. Breakfast is usually a meal of chicken or pork rice noodle soup that is accompanied by lettuce, bean sprouts, a variety of herbs and even Chinese pastries to mix into your soup. Rice, more specifically sticky rice, is the core of Lao cuisine and usually eaten with the hands. Roll the rice into a ball and use it to dip into the dishes at the table. For eating utensils, noodles and Chinese dishes are eaten with chopsticks, white rice is eaten with a fork and spoon and sticky rice is eaten with the hands.  

Kua Lao Restaurant

The Kua Lao restaurant in Vientiane offers very good traditional Lao food.

Kua Lao 111 Samsenthai Road , Vientiane
Tel: 856 21 21 48 13

Sit down to a meal in  Myanmar  and you will notice that every meal has as its centrepiece htamin (rice) and side dishes of chicken, fish or seafood curry. The curry from this country, made from a mixture of turmeric, ginger, garlic, salt, onion, peanut oil and shrimp paste, is very mild in flavour. To improve the flavour, add in some ngapi, which is a paste of dried and fermented shrimp or fish, or some ngan-pya-ye, a sauce of pressed shrimp or fish. Spicy condiments are provided if you wish to add some heat to your meal. You may have noticed that much of Myanmar’s cuisine incorporates a large amount of seafood. This is due to an abundance of rivers and beaches along Myanmar’s coast. A dish you may enjoy is thouq, a fresh and spicy salad of vegetables, fruit or cooked rice tossed with lime juice, onions, peanuts, chilli peppers and other spices. If rice is not your forte, go for the many rice and wheat noodle dishes that are always available. Noodles, usually eaten for breakfast or light meals, come with chicken and broth or coconut milk. Myanmar people are not big drinkers, and in fact alcoholic drinks are considered a real luxury, but they do indulge in the occasional toddy of htan ye (palm juice). Traditionally, the fingers were used for eating but nowadays spoons and forks is the norm.

Mandalay’s Green Elephant Restaurant is a good place to sample the best of Myanmar’s cuisine. 

The Green Elephant
3 (H), Block 801, 27th Street
Aung Daw Mu Quarter, Mandalay
Tel: 95 2 38285

Thai  cuisine is characterised by a generous amount of chillies and garlic, and additions of lime juice, herbs, peanuts, tamarind juice, ginger and fish sauce or shrimp paste to almost every dish. The mixture of hot, sour, spicy and sweet flavours in Thai cuisine is what makes it unique. Like most other Asian countries, rice is always served at each meal. Main dishes, served with various condiments and sauces, include curries and noodle soups. Because Thailand has an abundant supply of firewood, meats and seafood are generally grilled over a flame. Dishes are also boiled in clay pots and deep or stir-fried, a method borrowed from the Chinese. For snacks, fresh juice, fried peanuts, chopped ginger and slices of lime are available.

Experience authentic Thai cuisine at the rustic the Hua Lamphong Food Station.

Hua Lamphong Food Station
92/1 Sukhumvit Soi 34, Bangkok
Tel: 661 3538