Yes, the Lao in general prefer "fresh" beef, but we also like Dry Aged Beef too, though the flavour is more pronounced with a welcome nutty almost cheesey aroma, which is best suited to grilling ("rare as you dare"), and eaten with a nice "jéow".

I guess this is because good cuts of fresh meat is expensive in Laos, which doesnt have the right climate to hang beef for long periods (or specially constructed fridges).

However, it is not necessary to use the best cuts of beef for Larbs, most cuts will do, as long as they have been cleaned of tendons or sineuw.

We have to use best cuts because we are based in a 5 Star hotel, where hopefully, only the best reaches the tables…

:)

Do you ever use dry-aged beef? I know the Lao prefer very fresh meat, but I wonder how suitable dry-aged beef would be for some dishes.

Thanks for the custard tips. And about the cork and octopus, I never knew that!

The get the “silky finish” you should strain the Custard mixture before pouring it in to the Pumpkin, that will get rid of the “bubbles of air” and settle the mixture before steaming (at 90º for 1½ hours.)

The Cork in the Octopus boiling helps tenderise the meat.

Khamsene’s secret is that he uses carrots in the broth, European style, and it looks like beef shank. Typically, though, I think the best result comes from oxtail.

Maybe he’s got some cloves in there too. A lot of people use anise so that’s not surprising.

Um, I have a question: why do you cook cork with octopus??

The sashimi presentation is beautiful, but the sushi is a little on the large side. I guess Americans would like that; they like everything BIG.

The custard pumpkin looks wonderful. I’ve always had difficulty with it. What’s the secret to getting a nice, silky consistency?