Sticky Rice (Khao niao)
Lao people have a habit of eating sticky rice (Khao niao). Usually, the sticky rice is compressed in a bamboo basket called "thip khao". They use their hands to roll the sticky rice into a ball, then eat it with meat or vegetables.
Lao sticky rice is made from sticky rice grown on the fields, so it is sticky and soft, with long, slender grains of beautiful ivory white color. Lao sticky rice is sticky, delicious, and rich, and the impressive thing about Laos is that there is very little black or multi-colored sticky rice like in some countries. They often eat sticky rice with grilled chicken and boiled vegetables with a little "cheo boong" - a typical dipping sauce of the Lao people, making the dish extremely unique and delicious.
Laap
Laap (also known as Larb) is a traditional Lao dish but is also very popular in Thai restaurants. Laap is mainly sliced meat (such as pork, beef, duck or chicken) mixed with fish sauce, coriander, mint, chili, onion and lime juice with dry rice, then cooked. Laap is served with sticky rice and fresh vegetables.
Laap is a typical salad of Laos, this is also considered the "national dish" of this country, not only respected by the local people but also loved by many international friends. If you have the opportunity to come to the "country of a million elephants", do not forget to enjoy the most delicious specialty dish in Laos.
Tam Mak Houng
If you have heard of the famous Thai papaya salad called Som Tam, you will not be surprised to taste the flavor of Tam Mak Houng in Laos.
Not as sweet as Som Tam, this dish consists of three-sided crab mixed with a special Lao fish sauce called pa daek, served with sticky rice. Other ingredients include tomatoes, garlic, chili and lime juice.
Tam Maak Hung is a popular dish in restaurants as well as in the meals of local people here. Unlike Vietnamese papaya salad, which is usually dry, Lao papaya salad often has water to dip other dishes. The papayas chosen must be old green but not nearly ripe, so that when making the salad, it will be crispy and delicious. The papaya will be shredded into small fibers and mixed with lime juice, eggplant, pepper, chili and a little shrimp paste to create a unique flavor for papaya salad that anyone who has eaten it once will remember forever.
Ping Kai
Another delicious dish that is loved by many people is Ping Kai - grilled chicken. The chicken is marinated with spices including black pepper, garlic, coriander root, fish sauce, salt and then grilled over hot coals until it gives off an irresistible aroma. In addition, you can also wrap each small piece of chicken in pandan leaves and then grill it, which is also very delicious. In Laos, people eat Ping Kai with sticky rice and sometimes with raw vegetables.
Ping Kai Grilled Chicken is one of the classic Lao dishes, served in all regions of the country.
Khao soi
While Myanmar people use coconut water to make Khao Soi, Lao people use pork broth instead. This is a dish of scissor-cut noodles, then blanched in boiling water and then Khao Soi - a mixture of minced pork with garlic, tomatoes, spices... is added on top.
Khao Soi is a famous dish in Laos with extremely simple ingredients and preparation methods but still brings appeal and appeal to diners so that anyone who has tasted Khao Soi will never forget its flavor.
Khao Soi at first glance looks like pho but in fact it is not because this dish does not need to use bone broth, just boil water, put the pho noodles in to blanch until cooked, then put in a bowl, add vegetables and finally put Khao Soi with a little pepper and chili on top and you have a delicious dish.
Lao sausage (Sai Oua)
Sai Oua is actually a sausage of this country with the main ingredient being pork and popular spices such as lemon, garlic, chili... to increase the deliciousness and attractiveness of the dish. With this dish, the pork will be ground very finely until it reaches a smooth consistency, then mixed with spices to soak it in, then stuffed into the pig's intestines, depending on the preferences of each person, it can be boiled or fried, both are very delicious. Sai Oua is one of the most attractive dishes in Laos that you should not miss.
Sai Oua, also known as Lao sausage, is a popular dish in night markets. In addition to traditional sausages, Lao people also like to eat fermented sausages and spicy sausages made from water buffalo meat.
Savannakhet Chicken
Savanakhet chicken is one of the most famous delicious dishes in Laos that any tourist coming here will come to enjoy. The chickens that make up the brand of Savanakhet chicken must be chickens raised in the countryside, eating rice and paddy, so the meat is fragrant, firm but has the right sweetness and softness so that when grilled on hot coals, it will have an irresistible aroma, the chicken skin is crispy and the chicken meat is sweet and soft to the bone, eaten with white sticky rice and "cheo boong" is unforgettable.
