Lao sausage is the best sausage if you ask us. Normally made from fatty pork and seasoned with lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, chillies - it packs so much flavor (sai means intestine by the way). There's some confusion about the difference between sai gok and sai oua - although both use the same ingredients sai sok includes sticky rice in its filling which allows it to ferment (much like som puhk and som moo). Sai Gok is often associated with the Isaan region of Thailand, once a territory of Laos. Whichever ones you're having at your party, you can't go wrong with Lao sausages.

Traditionally made by sun-drying thinly sliced seasoned beef with the optional sprinkle of sesame seeds, this Lao jerky is more than just a preserved food snack. While seen hang refers to any Lao beef jerky, seen savanh, which translates into “meat from heaven”, uses a much wider and flatter cut, with a sweetness that gives it its angelic name. Modern seen hang manufacturers now offer cooked beef so it can be enjoyed straight out the package, but a quick fry will give it a crisp crunch.

What’s not to love about grilled chicken? It’s crispy fatty skin keeps moisture in the meat, marinated with lemongrass, ginger and garlic. Outdoor vendors will sell their chicken wings stretched out on skewers but home chefs will roast or broil wings, drumsticks, thighs and more in their ovens. Peeng gai is considered the perfect pairing for thummakhoong - but can it compete on it’s own?

There are many versions of thum, but there can only be the one that started it all. Papaya, which is neutral in flavor when unripe, gets shredded and pounded via kohk and sahk (mortar and pestle) along with garlic, lime, tomatoes, and padaek (unfiltered fish sauce). Other thum salads include long beans, cucumbers, sour mangoes, any other unripe edible fruits, cranberries, crab apples, as well as noodles like khao poon, pho and even khao piek sen. A “kitchen sink” type dish with meatballs, shrimp, boiled eggs and whatever else you have lying around is called thum mua. While Laotians like to argue about how many chilies belong in thum, whether to use fermented crab paste or actual fermented crabs in their shell, the correct color for Lao papaya salad is always dark and dank.

The nam in this dish’s name refers to sour pork, the same word used in neighboring Thai, Khmer and Viet language (although in Lao it’s called som moo) but everything else about this is Lao. Curry-seasoned coconut rice balls are deep fried until crispy, then mashed up and mixed with the sour pork pieces, lime juice, roasted peanuts, fried thai chillies and served with lettuce. So is it a fried rice dish, a salad, or wrap? And is it enough to be a winner?

For an appetizer snack, these little bite-sized wraps sure take a lot of work to prepare. First, you dry out your cooked sticky rice. Then you fry it and crush into a powder. Mix it with a savory, sweet broth of lemongrass and kaffir lime until you get a paste and that’s one ingredient done. The rest make up the supplemental flavors going into your wrap, which can vary from personal preference, however the idea is that in each bite you should get a taste of hot, sour, salty, and sweet all at once. Common mieng toppings are lemongrass, peanuts, tomatoes, ginger, dried shrimp, roasted pepper, pork rinds, and eggplants. Lettuce is the common leaf wrap, although the slightly spicier piper betel has a prettier shape for presentation, while lotus petal holds its shape, adds crunch and feels royal. Never made a mieng combination we didn’t like.

Mok in Lao means ‘to steam’ and traditional recipes utilized the moisture in fragrant banana leaves to wrap meat, vegetables, and aromatic herbs such as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, dill, and lemon basil. This gentle method was best for pieces that might normally fall apart during the cooking process - think flaky filet of fish (mok pa), or even creamy brains (mok samong).  While the most skilled of chefs could origami their mok into perfect pockets of savory pillows, you just had to secure your edges by tucking them in - or just use foil.

Pun just means “to wrap”, and Lao people seem to really enjoy wrapping their whole cooked fish. The accompaniment spread includes lettuces, herbs, veggies, noodles, peanuts and sometimes even pork rinds. Pun always comes with dipping sauce - some swear by the sweet garlicky fish sauce, others insist it only be the padaek and pineapple one, and then there are those who have both on the table. Whatever’s fun for your pun.

The word gaeng refers to a broth soup, however the consistency of gaeng naw mai broth veers on stew (which is called aw in Lao) thanks to yanang leaves, which helps thicken and give it its famous dark green color.  This earthy dish’s other star ingredient are the bamboo shoots, which get complimented by mushrooms, chillies and other herbs. Gaeng naw mai usually includes a meat, but can be completely made with all veggies and when in season squash, pumpkin or even okra are additional supplements. A salad version of this dish is called suup naw mai.

Keelik is the name for the cassia plant, related to cinnamon but tastes nothing like it. Its flowers and tender leaves are used in cooking but because of the toxins present in its raw form, has to be boiled and drained before cooking - only to add a bitter taste. Google says its medicinal properties help with diabetes, eye infections, joint and muscle pain, constipation, jaundice, liver disease, and urinary tract disorders soooooo we’re eating it because we want to live a long life. This humble stew is sometimes made with ant eggs, and can have a base of clear pork broth or coconut curry. Long life, remember.

Khaopoon is a vermicelli made by fermenting rice flour dough, it is extremely hard to get in the States unless you have the free time to ferment it and shape the tiny strands yourself. Until then, store-bought substitutes can be found from Vietnamese and Japanese brands. Soup for khaopoon is either a clear broth of pork innards (khaopoon nam jeow) or red curry and coconut milk broth - this is the one reserved for celebrations. If using fish it’s called khaopoon nam ba, with pork or beef is khaopoon nam seen, and chicken, the most popular, is khaopoon nam gai. Rich in flavor, party khaopoon includes a combo of all of the above from fish sauce, to chicken feet and quail eggs, to pigs’ blood curd cubes, while the fixings platter has shredded cabbage, long beans, banana blossoms, bean sprouts, mint, Thai basil, cilantro and more. What can we say, ain't no party like a khaopoon party.

Yes, it’s another Lao red curry coconut noodle soup. The name katee means coconut milk so it’s guaranteed this broth is going to be creamy and sweet, but the extra addition of the egg drops gives it texture and richness. Traditional broth uses ground pork and pork belly as the base, and the longer it cooks the more its flavors meld together. The noodles used here are thin vermicelli like khaopoon or pho noodles, with garnishes like crisp cut veggies, bean sprouts, peanuts, and fried chili peppers adding crunchy texture to an otherwise soft soup. We’ll have one bowl today and another bowl tomorrow thanks!