Studies of early history in Southeast Asia mentioned in our Thai, Cambodian or Burmese bibliographies also touch, albeit briefly on Laos. There are numerous books on Lao history, the majority of which fall into either the 19th-century French explorers’ accounts or the Vietnam/Indochina war period categories. Serve.Well, mostly a Laos recommended reading list since we can’t find many movies set in Laos, half-decent or otherwise, and haven’t come across too many good documentaries either. Bruise tomatoes with the pestle, no more…then mix completely with papaya. When ready to serve, push papaya mixture to side of mortar, and drop in cherry tomato quarters. ( NOTE: May be reserved in the fridge at this point, right in the mortar, covered, for a few hours.)Ħ.

Add the sugar and fish sauce, stirring well with a spoon. You should end up with the julienne strips still intact.ĥ. Pound very lightly for 30 seconds or so, turning with a spoon so the ingredients are all blended. Add the chiles, and pound lightly for a moment they should still be in pieces.Ĥ. Pound with a pestle until a near-paste is achieved. In a large mortar, place the garlic cloves, lime pieces, and pinch of salt. Cover papaya julienne with a wet paper towel and reserve.ģ. You can do this with a mandoline, or–harder!–completely by hand. Cut the remaining half-papaya into very long and very thin julienne. Reserve one half of the papaya for future use.Ģ. Split in half (reserving the white papaya seeds inside for a future use if you like the taste of nasturtium). Peel the green papaya with a vegetable peeler. Inspired by a recipe in Natacha du Pont de Bie’s book, ANT EGG SOUP: The Adventures of a Food Tourist in Laosġ medium green papaya, about 16 to 24 oz.ģ-4 Thai bird chiles (or 1 tablespoon slivers of any hot chile)ġ-2 tablespoons Thai or Vietnamese fish sauceġ. Serves 4 as dinner side dish (fish sauce intensity up to you!) If you search, all of the following ingredients can be found in U.S. In Lao…the difference is that they pound whole pieces of lime in the mortar and pestle, adding a slightly bitter but wildly lime-y dimension to the dish.

I was blown away by one thing in particular: their take on Green Papaya Salad, a southeast Asian staple. But one of the least known is Lao (we usually call it Laos), which features a kind of mountain-top rusticity in its food. I had an exquisite time a few months back in southeast Asia, comparing the cuisines of the well-known countries there. Rosengarten Classic. Originally Published: ROSENGARTEN REPORT, August 2010.

Ant Egg Soup by Natacha Du Pont de Bie