laocook

There is something warming about sitting down and sharing a meal with friends and family, and there is no better way to do so than to share a tabletop Fondue or BBQ.

Above is a photo of a small Fondue, fired by hot coals and served with wafer-thin slices of meat and seafoods. You just plunge in your choice of meat in to the boiling stock, wait for it to cook, dip it in to your sauce, and “away you go”.

There are many restaurants in Vientiane that serve these fondues, and a meal for 4 will only set you back a few Euros, that includes Beerlao too!

Here we have a Fondue BBQ, also fired by hot coals. Carried over by restaurant staff, it neatly fits in to the hole in the table. The coals are red hot, which heats up the aluminium dome.

As with the Stock Fondue, the variety of meats are cut wafer-thin, which makes them easier and faster to cook. One of my favorites is Cow Udder, which is milky white and very tender.

Sprinkled with Sesame Seeds, the Udder needs little else. In the centre of the plate you can see some cuts of Pork Fat, which are used to grease the Dome and stop the meats from sticking. Just before cooking, hot lightly-seasoned stock is poured in to the “moat”, and this will come to a steady boil. You add your choice of Vegetables, Herbs, Mushrooms and Noodles to the stock whilst you cook the meats on the Dome, and the meat juices that run in to the stock help enhance the flavour.

Each restaurant serves the Fondue BBQ with there own special sauce, but if you prefer you can add chillies, garlic, fish sauce or even sugar to get the taste you require.

Its a slow meal, and its best to order more meats as you go along. An evening of good conversation, cooking for yourself, and cooking for others on your table, and taking turns pouring the Beer is a great and magical way to spend an evening.

Below is our LCTV presentation of the Fondue BBQ. Enjoy.

“Sao Noi Disco” is an intriguing name given to this dish. It is also known as “Jumping Prawns”, as you will see why in our LCTV presentation below.

The dish is made with fresh live water shrimp, which is seasoned like a “Larb”. It is served under an inverted bowl, to stop the shrimp from jumping out before reaching the table!. Sao Noi Disco (which losely translated means “Young Disco Girls”) is a fond nickname given to the dish, which resembles, well, resembles “Sao Noi Disco!”.

Laocuisine.net has a video presentation from Lao TV, which features the recipe.

Riverweed, or River Moss is also known as Khai Paen or Kaipen. The finished product resembles Nori Sheets, but Riverweed, as the name states, is collected from the riverbed, from stones and small rocks. In their fresh state, they look like bright green cotton threads, and can be seen being sold in market stalls near the river banks.

The Riverweed is dried, before being seasoned and pounded into paper thin sheets and left out in the sun to dry.

Topped with Sesame Seeds and other flavours, the Riverweed can be lightly shallow fried until crispy. It is best enjoyed with a cold Beerlao (preferably in a bar next to the river!).

***

With more and more people visiting Laos, its great to see the positive impact that tourism is bringing. Of all the people that I have met, in person and online, one things remains constant, Laos is a Beautiful Country, and everyone has fond memories of her.

Alex has posted some wonderful photos on his pbase site, check them out, there are two galleries featuring Laos, here and here.

A lot has changed since my last visit to Vientiane, Capital City of Laos. New roads are being built, or old ones widened and covered. The New Morning Market is almost ready (though I doubt that it will have the character of the current one). New buildings and houses are popping up everywhere, a sign of the changing times that my country of birth is going through. Its a positive change, and a welcome one.

The rise in Tourism is plain to see. Lao Aviation (Lao Airlines) has purchased new planes to meet the demand of visitors, new hotels have opened, and old ones are being refurbished.

Many photos were taken, alongside some film, which will be blogged within the next few weeks.

***

One outstanding feature that all visitors will notice is the “calm and openess” of the Lao folk. They are generous, happy and find pleasures in the simple things. Unstressed, taking everying “in their stride”.

The day starts early in Laos, and a pefect way to start the day is a hot steaming bowl of Phö.

Its never too early for a Beerlao!

Fresh Herbs add a pleasant aroma and flavour to the soup.

***

Fresh Water fish can be found in all manner of guises. One road on the way to Vang Vieng, is famed for its Dried and Fermented Fish.

There are numerous varieties of fish for sale.

Fermend Fish (Som Pa) is sold wrapped in Banana Leaves and clear bags. They can be eaten “as is” or lightly fried, which will make the aroma more intense. There was also a huge selection of Padek available, with each vendor selling there very own “secret recipe”.

***

It was wonderful to see the different foods available, either sold openly on the streets, or in the markets. Luckily this year, I was careful of what I ate, and enjoyed a “stomach pain free” holiday!

Alan Davidson´s Fish and Fish Dishes of Laos is an outstanding book, not only for reference, but also as a pointer to see how the Lao (the country is Land-Locked) lived off the River Fish.