Laotian cuisine presents a fascinating fusion, combining elements from Thai and Vietnamese culinary traditions, and featuring hints of French and Chinese influences. Consequently, for travelers seeking a departure from the usual rice and noodle offerings, Laos offers a plethora of unique dishes to tantalize your taste buds. Within this article, we will delve into 10 amazing Laos food delights that demand your attention while exploring Laos—a realm beyond the ordinary for those craving an extraordinary gastronomic experience on their journey:
This post will introduce you to some of the amazing food that visitors can try when visiting Laos.
Food is a very important part of Laos culture. It is often used as a way to bring people together, and it can also be quite delicious! This article will introduce you to some of the wonderful food that visitors can try when visiting Laos.
Below we’ll go over just some of the foods you should look for when in Laos, with information on where these dishes originated and what makes them so special:
- Larb (Lap) – According to Wikipedia this dish originated from the central regions of Thailand but it has become popular all over Southeast Asia including Laos. It’s made from ground meat mixed with herbs such as lemon basil or mint leaves, raw onion, fish sauce, lime juice, and chili peppers before being served alongside lettuce leaves for wrapping up your meal in style!
- Pho – This Vietnamese soup dish has been around since 1918 but was really popularized by locals who immigrated to southern China during World War II due to its high protein content which helped them recover after losing so much weight during those difficult times back then. In recent years, however, there has been an increase in popularity amongst tourists who visit neighboring countries like Cambodia.
Khai Pane (Stuffed Omelette)
Khai Pane is a Lao dish made with ground pork, minced garlic, and chopped spring onion. The stuffing is then placed in an omelet pan and cooked until the eggs are ready. The omelet can be eaten on its own or served with vegetables like cabbage or lettuce. You can also add some rice to it if you want more carbs!
This is a great dish to eat for breakfast or as a snack!
Tam Mak Hoong (Papaya Salad)
Papaya salad is a traditional and one of the most amazing Laos food dishes in the culture 🥵 🥵 🥵 . It is made from diced/shredded pieces of papaya, tomato, green beans, chili peppers 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ , and lime juice. It’s usually served with sticky rice and mak phet (a type of fish sauce).
The ingredients can vary slightly depending on where you go but it’s usually made with:
- Papaya—green or ripe (the riper the better)
- Tomato — preferably ripe but not too mushy
- Green beans — fresh ones are best but canned ones work fine as well
- Water chestnut slices (optional)
- Fresh ginger root — finely minced or grated
- Garlic clove(s) — crushed in a mortar & pestle or minced (or just use garlic powder if you don’t have fresh garlic available)
If you want to make this dish vegetarian-friendly all you’d need to do is omit the fish sauce!
Ping Kai (Grilled Chicken)
You probably have heard of grilled chicken but have you ever tried it? If not, you should definitely give this dish a try. It is one of the most popular Lao dishes in the country. It is often served as an appetizer and goes well with beer or other alcoholic drinks.
It is made from free-range chicken and its skin is rubbed with salt and ground turmeric before being grilled over a charcoal fire until crispy brown. The chicken meat can be eaten with leaves such as Saracha (Sawtooth coriander) or young banana tree leaves if you are feeling adventurous enough to try them out!
Ping Kai was introduced by Chinese immigrants who arrived in Laos during the 19th century when they were escaping from famine back home. They brought their traditional way of cooking which later became part of Lao cuisine itself after making some changes here and there such as adding turmeric powder instead of using Chinese spices like Sichuan pepper because they could not find any similar ingredients at that time while living among locals
Ping Kii Noy (Grilled Eggplant)
Ping kii noy is an extremely popular food in Laos, and it’s a must-eat for any traveler. The name of this dish means “grilled eggplant,” but you may also see it listed as pea khee noy in English or phak khii nuu (ผักขี้เหนื่อ) in Thai.
This vegetable is healthy and delicious, so don’t pass up the chance to try it when you visit! It can be grilled or fried, depending on your taste preferences. You can eat ping kii noy as a side dish or as a main course—it pairs well with rice dishes like pad thai or pho noodles like bun cha gio heo bap (pork noodle soup).
Mok Pa (Fish Steamed in Banana Leaf)
Mok Pa is a popular dish in Laos. The whole fish is placed inside banana leaves and steamed until it’s done. The fish is cooked with lemongrass, ginger, turmeric and lime juice.
This dish has a unique flavor that comes from the banana leaves!
Pha Phet (Laotian Curry)
Pha Phet is a spicy Laotian curry that is made with beef, pork or chicken and served with sticky rice. It can be served with vegetables like cabbage and carrots. It can also be served with a variety of condiments including herbs, fish sauce, chili sauce and lime juice.
Tam Som (Som Tam, the Thai Version of Papaya Salad)
Som Tam is a salad made with shredded unripe papaya, tomato, green beans, long beans, dried shrimp, roasted peanuts and lime juice. It is similar to the Thai version of papaya salad called Som Tam (also known as green papaya salad). The main difference between Laos’ som tam and the Thai version is that it uses only very small pieces of green papaya without seeds.
Jeow Bong (Chilli Paste)
Jeow Bong is a spicy 🌶️ sauce made of chili, garlic, and lemongrass. It’s usually eaten with fish or chicken. The sauce can be bought at markets and also prepared at home by combining the ingredients (see below). The taste is quite similar to other Southeast Asian chili pastes such as sambal oelek from Indonesia or nam phrik from Thailand.
Khao Niaw (Sticky Rice)
Sticky rice is a common staple food in Laos. It’s used to make khao niaw, which translates to the Lao word for sticky rice. This dish can be eaten with other dishes or on its own as a snack.
The best way to cook sticky rice is in a bamboo basket over an open flame or stovetop heat source (such as an electric burner). The cooking process takes about 45 minutes, but most people find that it’s well worth the wait! Once cooked, you can use your hands or chopsticks to pick up some of this delicious treat and eat it hot off the flames—or pop it into your mouth when cool enough to handle comfortably.
Sticky rice is also one of many foods used in different types of Laotian specialties such as larb and nam phik phet (both fried noodle dishes), khao mok (crispy noodles), larp (steamed leaf wraps), tam maak hoong (spicy papaya salad), som tum (green papaya salad), soups such as tom yum goong and tom chuet
Lap (Lap Dip, a Lao Beef Salad)
Lap is a Lao beef salad that is made with finely chopped herbs, vegetables, and grilled beef. It’s eaten as an appetizer with sticky rice.
In addition to being quite tasty, lap also has special significance in Laos culture. The dish is believed to have originated in the village of Nong Het in Vientiane Province, where people would place raw meat on top of a fire pit during religious festivals to make it more tender before eating it.
According to legend, when the French arrived in Laos during the late 19th century and saw this method being used they called it “lap” which means “meat” or “raw.”
There are many amazing Laos food dishes that should be tried by people visiting the country if they want to experience more than just the ancient temples and Buddhist monasteries.
You can’t go to Laos and not try their delicious food! Here are some mouth-watering delicacies that you must try if you’re visiting Laos in 2022:
- Lao sausage: A sausage made from minced pork, stuffed into a natural casing, and steamed. It’s very popular among locals and travelers alike.
- Lao-style larb: This is a spicy salad made with meat (usually chicken), herbs, fish sauce, lime juice, and chili powder.
- Mahorka soup: This traditional soup is a favorite among many tourists who visit Luang Prabang. It has been said that its origins lie with the French colonial period when it was introduced by French traders who came from Vietnam during World War II as they fled from Japan’s invasion of Southeast Asia at that time.”
Whether you’re visiting Laos for pleasure or business, be sure to try some of these amazing Laos food dishes. You will not regret it!