Laos: An Awesome
Top 5 Food Guide
Ahh, Laos. The land of the million elephants and the land of the million delicacies. Throughout our 11 days here, our stomachs have constantly been exercising in the form of exercise called food digestion. We are constantly surprised by the food served here, and we want to share our favourite Laotian dishes for your trip here.
Disclaimer: This list is a very terribly curated one, as we have no bloody clue where is the place we ate or what we ate. We can only tell by what is in the dish. Most of the time, we walk into a random stall and have no idea what the stall sells, and we cannot understand the stall owners and vice versa. We just point at the menu, and they serve it to us. While it is a very intimidating experience like Omakase, this is usually a sign that you are most likely going to get freaking bomb-ass food.
1. Khao Piak
Our top favourite is an addictive bowl of goodness, Khao Piak. It is Laotian Chicken Noodle soup made with tapioca noodles. The broth is clear and light but very flavourful. The noodles are very sticky but have a good bite. We see Laotians putting some chilli paste on it, but to us, without the chilli is already good enough. Also, Laotian chilli is sit on the toilet for 3 days spicy. Be warned when adding it to your noodles. Our favourite stall is Pasaniyom Coffee at Luang Prabang, situated right beside the Mekong River, filled with many locals and some tourists.. They serve up some really, I mean really good coffee as well. Our close second is Hua Siang Khao Piak Restaurant, which is really amazing as well, and is a bit lighter than the former. If you do not like this dish, I will Piak (slap) you in the face.
Address: Pasaniyom Coffee, V4RJ+5XC, Luang Prabang, Laos
Address: : ร้านข้าวเปียกหัวเซียง, Hua Siang Khao Piak Restaurant, 16 Chaofa Ngum Rd, Luang Prabang, Laos
2. Mu Ping
Most countries have their own version of BBQ meat skewers, from Malaysian Satay to Chuan Chuan in China. Laos have their own as well, called Mu Ping. Mu Ping is grilled pork belly skewers over charcoal. Biting into it, the skewers are juicy, fatty, and slightly spicy with a smoky taste due to the charcoal grill. If you have not realised, it sounds similar to Thai’s Moo Ping. But it is a very different style altogether. You can’t miss a Mu Ping stall, as it is filled with smoke from the grill and many skewers being laid in front of the stall and on the grill. You can’t go wrong with any stall that sells them. Some of them even sell sausages, which is a must try too. It is fermented, so it has a sour taste which is not to everyone’s liking. But it is to mine.
Address: It’s everywhere by the roadside. You can’t miss it.
3. Buffalo Pho
Pho is kinda self-explanatory. It is a noodle soup that is well-known and originates from Vietnam. But little did you know Laos have their own version of Pho due to Laos being a French Colony in the past. The differences are the type of noodles used. Unpopular take, this Pho is way better than any I had in Vietnam. We had this buffalo pho at a little shack in the mountains at Luang Prabang while riding a motorbike from a disappointing place called Green Jungle Park. We were so out of place as the moment we walked in, the locals just turned and looked at us. Someone there thankfully spoke English and told us the offerings of the stall. Which is just pho and nothing else. The moment we took our first bite, this unassuming shack gave us the best pho in our lives. The broth looks light but impactful. The flavour of the buffalo and the aromatics used is incorporated nicely into the soup. It is also slightly smoky from the black peppercorns and the charcoal used to simmer the broth for hours. This is, no doubt, the best pho I ever had and made up for the disappointment we had at Green Jungle Park.
Address: Check our next article for directions (Shameless plug). Where we detail our motorbike journey to Green Jungle Park
4. Larb
Larb is the national dish and pride of Laos. It is a minced meat salad that is minty, herby and probably the healthiest item on this list. When we ate it, we paired larb with sticky rice, the traditional way of eating it. I hate salads, and most salads are a waste of money due to the commercialism of selling healthy food at a low cost to produce at a high price. However, larb is an exception to this. It is a healthy and refreshing salad sold at a low cost, and it is delicious. So that’s a plus. You can find Larb at most places in Laos. We had ours at a grilled meat restaurant at Vang Vien, and we loved it. The larb made our unhealthy meal into a very well-balanced one.
Address: No address, ownself find.
5. Or Lam
Or Lam is our last dish that barely made it on the top 5 list, as so many dishes we had here are really that good. Or Lam is a beef stew that is native to Luang Prabang. It is usually filled with beef or buffalo and is stewed with lemongrass and pepper wood. It took some getting used to, to get used to the taste, as it is something that is really foreign to us. But as we continue eating it, it gets better and better. It is a very herbal, earthy, bitter and sticky texture. This is the best I can explain how it tastes as it is something rather unique. Try it for yourself, as it is a rather indescribable taste. You can only try it for yourself at Luang Prabang.
Address: Night food market and ask the stall owners for Or Lam until they point you to the right stall. Find the stall with many dishes laid out in front of you.
Honorable Mention: Coffees & Pastries
Coffee and pastries made it to my honourable mentions, as it is surprising how amazing these 2 items are and how well they go together. Laos coffee has a citrus note and is really fragrant. However, it is overshadowed by its Vietnamese counterpart, who actually imports Laos Coffee that is of lower grade. Due to its French influence, Laos have really amazingly made pastries as well. I had a Pain au chocolate every day with a cup of coffee, without fail. You get a buttery, flaky pastry for more than half the price at a shitty Singaporean cafe. The coffee was probably the best I ever had, and I am not a coffee drinker. It does not have the strong acidic taste of most coffee I had, and you can taste a certain sweetness to the coffee.
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