Laap is a traditional Lao dish, perhaps the national dish of Laos. Culturally, this dish is prepared for special events such as weddings, baby showers, Buddhist Baci ceremonies and when family and/or friends visit. It is believed within the Lao culture that this dish represents luck, which is why it is a must at any Lao gathering.
Laap is mainly composed of coriander, rice powder, bean sprout, sawtooth coriander, mint, shallots, spring onion, garlic, lime, chili and a protein of your choice. It is accompanied with lettuce, long green beans, cucumber and other Lao vegetables.
Laap is not only a fascinating and healthy dish, but a fun interactive meal given that you eat it with your hands, wrapping the mix in a lettuce leaf or with a portion of sticky rice. Each herb that creates Laap an enchanting dish, provide health benefits which makes this dish not only nourishment, but medicinal, making it an ideal dish to prepare yourself at home during this time!
The following recipe is our Manda de Laos delicious Laap Moo which means pork salad. However, if you opt for the vegetarian version, just omit the minced pork.
Ingredients you will need:
Now let´s begin!
1. Start by cleaning and preparing your protein, mince it
2. Wash all herbs thoroughly and prepare the coriander, lemongrass, shallots, sawtooth coriander, spring onion and garlic by chopping them up into small pieces.
3. Slice the banana flower into small stripes.
4. Add a pinch of your chosen cooking oil to a medium size pan and heat it up.
5. Place the garlic, shallots, lemongrass and salt and sauté.
6. Add the minced pork to the sauteed herbs and cook fully.
7. Once the meat is ready, in a mixing bowl add the cooked pork along with the fish sauce, lime juice, rice powder and the sliced banana flower. Mix thoroughly.
8. Once ready, add chili to your taste to spice up the Laap and mix again.
Now that your Laap is ready, serve with lettuce leaves, green beans and cucumber.
You can also accompany your meal with some rice, the must is sticky rice. Enjoy!
