Good Laos Food Read

Fortuitously, just before my recent foray to Laos, a colleague loaned me a book written by a British woman, Natacha Du Pont De Bie. Titled 'Ant Egg Soup: The Adventures of a Food Tourist in Laos', it documents her eating and travel experiences throughout Laos earlier this decade.

It's a fab read and while I was fascinated by the culinary descriptions, I also found myself nodding in agreement with her sensibilities on the broader issues of culture, travel and the environment. Of Luang Prabang, she writes

"...I liked the sense that things were run on their own agenda without acquiescing to formulaic tourist demands. I didn't want to watch twenty teenagers in foil head-dresses doing a traditional dance while I ate a Westernised version of a Laos meal; and I didn't want to return by air-conditioned car to a hermetically sealed hotel room while those same teenagers zoomed home on their mopeds to their real lives. But lots of people do. My grandparents adored that sort of thing, particularly if it involved a cruise ship and all-you-can-eat buffets. And it is coming to Luang Prabang as fast as the new tourist companies can bus in the rich punters."

De Bie includes authentic recipes learned from a variety of both local and ex-pat food identities and everyday cooks. Luckily for me, while Vietnam's cuisine is significantly different, many of the ingredients available in the markets of Hanoi will allow me to adapt the recipes quite well. I may even report on some of my kitchen experimentation. I haven't done that for a while!

Comments

[Stephen]

I have read the book as well, it is fantastic.

I am Laotian, born in Luang Prabang, but have spent almost all of my life in Australia. It was a very odd experience learning aspects about my own culture and traditions from a book written by an outsider.

Along with the recipes, the book also offers (or makes a good guess) at the botanical names of some of the more obscure ingrediants. A terrifric resource.

[Chubbypanda]

I wanna try ant eggs! *sigh* The only way that's possible in California is if I head down to Mexico.

[somchai]

Chubbypanda, Living in California you should be able to go down to any Lao Market and get frozen ant eggs. I'm not sure the ones from Mexico are the same. Of course there are many different recipes, the greens added to the soup are also important, a well stocked Lao grocer might well have many of them.

I blogged about cooking them up as they were unusual. I don't give measurements or time, just what went on. I like home cooked Lao food.

http://laobumpkin.blogspot.com/search/label/ants

Down the right hand side of my blog I have links to Lao food blogs in case anyne is interested, two of the best in my opinion are Lao cook and Lao cuisine.

Lao Cuisine is someone who gets a lot of photos sent via emails from relatives in the Pakse area and then calls on the phone for specifics and tries them on his own.

Lao Cook, perhaps the most knowledgable and eloquent person blogging about Lao food is often not traditional. He uses the ingredients and the style to come up with new things, but it's all based on a very thorough understanding of Lao food.

Just noticed a link at the bottom, not to Lao food but a great SEA food blog nonetheless, called ... ehem... Sticky Rice.

[Term Papers]

I think this book is a result of deep thoughts about foods. Natacha Du Pont De Bie has serious thoughts about eating out.

[donnie]

Ant egg soup how interresting.try fry it with chicken gurantee you lick the whole plate dry cleaned.don't overlook until you
try the god damn thing.It's good fool.

[vincent fischer-zernin]

My newly published book "Lao Cooking and The Essence of Life" is a continuation and extension of Natasha's great book; hers is the first proper, honest and deferential cookbook to have been written about Lao food.

Take a look at the book's preview: http://www.tropicaldesignfz.net/book

[vietfoodrecipes]

Ant egg soup, oh my! Never heard of it before...How interesting!

[vincent fischer-zernin]

My eclectic book "Lao Cooking and The Essence of Life" is now available in America and Canada for US$ 34.- including shipping instead of the earlier US$ 47.- thanks to my new American distributor Dalley Book Services, see the E-purchase section on my book's website.