[Laos - Lucky "Laap"]
On a business trip during my vacation in May, I visited two countries in Southeast Asia, Thailand and Laos. Laos, located north of Thailand, has 70% of its land area covered by mountains and plateaus, and is the only landlocked country among the 10 ASEAN member countries that does not have a sea. The entire city of Luang Prabang, the ancient capital of Laos, is a World Heritage Site, and was established in 1353 as the Lan Xang Kingdom, the first unified Lao dynasty. Luang Prabang is a city where East and West are beautifully harmonized, with colonial-style architecture from the French Protectorate period.
We walked around the city in a rich time as if the whole city was breathing slowly, and in the evening, we enjoyed Lao cuisine while watching the sun set over the Mekong River. The Lao food was spicier than I expected and had a strong herbal flavor, so every dish was delicious, and I decided that the one I had repeatedly was "laap," which I would definitely make a staple this summer when I returned home.
Laap is the national dish of Laos and is also eaten in the northeastern part of Thailand. It is a dish of minced meat that has been cooked and dressed with herbs and spices. Often eaten at room temperature, the spicy flavor of chili peppers, sourness of lime, fish sauce, and herbs combine perfectly to bring out the umami of the main ingredient, minced meat. In addition to minced pork and chicken, some of the laap we tried were made with buffalo meat and others with fish. Laap is a perfect combination with steamed glutinous rice called khao ngao, which is eaten together or wrapped in leafy greens such as lettuce. It is a simple recipe of chopping, heating, and dressing the ingredients, but I was very surprised at how luxurious the taste is.
After a while since my return to Japan, I tried to make laap at home before the hot summer arrived in earnest. I thought that food from a hot country tastes best when eaten on a hot day, so I decided to learn how to make it before the summer season began. I used minced pork ground a little coarsely like the ones I had there, with plenty of pak choi and mint, and of course, steamed glutinous rice in a seiro for garnish. As soon as I took a bite, I was surprised by the hot, humidity-free wind that blew over my body at the Luang Prabang airport, the thick aroma of the Mekong River along the river, the Laotian beer "Beer Lao" that I drank to toast the joy of life, and many other events came back to me, making my memories of Laos even more vivid. I felt that my memories of Laos became even more vivid and colorful.
The word "laop" is said to be an indispensable dish for celebrations and happy occasions where people gather in Laos, as its pronunciation is similar to the Lao word meaning "good luck" or "happiness. The beautiful custom of sharing delicious food and wishing each other happiness and good luck is found all over the world, and I was very happy to have encountered one of the many such customs in Laos, which I visited this time. Lao "lucky laap". I hope you will enjoy it at home this summer.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
300 g ground chicken, pork, beef, etc.
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 chili peppers (green or red), finely chopped
Small green onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
A few leafy greens such as lettuce or Chinese cabbage
Cucumber, as desired
2 tablespoons glutinous rice (rice)
A few sprigs of pak choi
A few sprigs of mint
Seasonings
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons squeezed juice of lime or lemon
A pinch of grated lime or lemon peel
1 teaspoon powdered chili pepper (or a pinch of chili pepper)
How to make:
1. Fry glutinous rice in an ungreased frying pan until golden brown, and grind coarsely in a mortar.
2. Cut the purple onion into thin slices, the Japanese leek into small pieces, and tear the leafy greens into bite-size pieces by hand.
3. In a frying pan, saute the minced meat and finely chopped garlic over high heat until the meat is cooked through.
4. Put 3 in a large bowl, add the glutinous rice, red onion, seasonings, chopped pak choi and mint, mix well and season to taste.
5. Arrange the laap on a plate with leafy greens such as lettuce and Chinese cabbage, and sliced cucumber.
Ichiyougama's Plate
https://www.shokunin.com/en/ichiyou/plate.html
Koishiwara ware's Tobikanna Sansunzara
https://www.shokunin.com/en/koishiwara/mame.html
Tansougama's Slipware Mamezara
https://www.shokunin.com/en/tansou/slipware.html
Wadasuke Seisakusho's Cooking & Serving Spoon S
https://www.shokunin.com/en/wadasuke/spoon.html
Sori Yanagi's Stainless Steel Bowl 23cm
https://www.shokunin.com/en/yanagisori/bowl.html
References
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A9%E3%82%AA%E3%82%B9
https://www.tourismluangprabang.org/ja/about-luangprabang-2/
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BC%E3%83%97_(%E6%96%99%E7%90%86)
https://travel.asean.or.jp/laos/629/
https://aseanpedia.asean.or.jp/recipe/laab/ (Reference recipe)
『D23 地球の歩き方 ラオス 2024～2025』 地球の歩き方編集室より 「ラオスの食卓 ～豊潤な山と川の幸～」 森卓 著
