EatingAsia

A Taste of Luang Prabang: Or Lam

If you've visited Luang Prabang you probably know aw lahm / or lam, a spicy stew of vegetables and grilled or smoked meat that's thickened with sticky rice and pounded boiled eggplants. In our latest piece for Zester Daily we delve into the dish's back story, and offer a recipe adapted from Food From Northern Laos: The Boat Landing Cookbook. Read it here.

We love this super savory, comforting dish. Give it a try -- it's not overly complicated, and is perfect paired with sticky or plain white rice and a Laos-style dip (find a recipe for the latter here).

What is Lao Food?

I really couldn't have told you, before we spent two weeks in the former Lao royal capital of Luang Prabang last March. Vietnamese influences show up in markets (as in the rest of Laos the local version of pho is a popular breakfast) and dishes like the local kao soi are reminiscent of the spicy-salty cuisine of neighboring northern Thailand. But Luang Prabang has its own food as well that bears the imprint of climate (lots of wild mushrooms during the rainy season), geography (plenty of fish from the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers) and topography (lots of ingredients foraged from the jungle that carpets hills around the city).

In our latest contribution to food and wine website Zester Daily we investigate the cuisine of Luang Prabang, serve up a couple of simple -- and really delicious -- recipes, walk you through local markets with a slide show, and show you how to wrap fish in banana leaf for steaming with a second slideshow.

Read the story here. And give those recipes a try!