mmm-yoso!!!

Our most memorable meals part 2

Maybe I should've made a few resolutions for the New Year. First on that list would be "completing things I started sooner....." I realize that I did part 1 of this post on December 30th. I could, of course make it sound even farther "upstream" by writing something like "last year".... Of course, I still haven't finished my posts on Guatemala, or even Thailand, I hope to get those done before we leave on our next big trip. So without further ado..... these are in no particular order, but it's the meals that the Missus and I talk about most often.

- Can Cau Market

I've always been fascinated by markets of all shapes, sizes, and types. You learn so much about the people who live in these destinations, by checking out the market..... The Sunday Market at Bac Ha is well known as a gathering of the various Hill tribes. The Can Cau Market is less well known, but we found that we enjoyed it more.... it was less touristy, and it seems a bit more laid-back, not that the term "laid back" in anyway describes anything in Vietnam.

 
Here in the hill country of Vietnam, the colors worn by the people are vibrant and colorful; the Flower H'mong, Red Zao, Giay, the Blue H'mong.

 
We had made it clear early on that we don't do tourist food, and ended up eating where everyone else was; sitting on low benches a few inches above the hard-packed dirt.

The fare was simple, boiled pork, noodle soup, pickled greens, and the star of the show, Ruou Ngo, the local "moonshine" poured into used plastic water bottles from "Jerry cans".... the equivalent of 50 cents got your 16 ounce water bottle filled to the brim with Ruou.

And then the inevitable happened, we became the current novelty.... Our guide approached with cups of Ruou telling us that two of the gentleman sitting across the way "want to have a drink with you, because tourists never eat with them. They are very happy and proud that you would eat the same food." This of course, was only the beginning, of a scene we've encountered almost everywhere we've been in SEA, "they don't believe you're American. They say that you cannot be American, you don't look like Americans. Americans rarely come here, and those that do are afraid of the food, and won't drink with them. They take their pictures and leave right away."

 

Just as we are curious about the lives of people who seem so exotic and different, they are just as fascinated with us. You'd lose so much by keeping things at safe distance sometimes.....

What sticks with me was a toast the proprietor of the pork stall made before we left. Finding out that the Missus is Chinese, he made the following toast: "to Vietnamese and Chinese, we are brothers and neighbors, and brothers sometimes fight, but in the end we are still brothers". In the end, we are all brothers, under the same moon and sun......

- A Very Special Dinner in Cusco

Peru was a delicious and fascinating trip, and words cannot describe Machu Picchu.

Without a doubt, one of the highlites of our time in Cusco was dinner with the family of a friend of ours. We were told that they'd be making us a meal of Cuy, something that got me rather excited. That excitement was dampened when I had a terrible meal of Cuy the night before. Man was it bad, but there was a reason for that I was to find out later.

This family opened their home and hearts to us. And the Cuy was wonderful!

Crisp skin like roast pork, Cuy is all dark meat, and does taste like dark meat pork. I nibbled on the legs, the little bit of meat by the back spine is fabulous. And of course we had a drink after dinner to "kill the Cuy" as they say.

So why did that Cuy we had the previous night taste so bad? It was because they were fed a diet of meal that included fish and other ingredients to make them grow large quickly. The traditional food for Cuy is Alfalfa.

We spent a wonderful evening talking about all sorts of subjects..... humor is universal! When it comes down to it, we are more alike then we are different.....

- Astrid y Gaston, Lima

I usually don't do posts on fine dining and the like in San Diego. Like I've written many times, there are many other great food blogs and sources for that kind of info. Our meals during our travels are a different story.....

At the time of our visit in 2007 Astrid y Gaston, Gaston Acurio's flagship restaurant was on Pellegrino's top 100 restaurants in the world list. The concept of Novoandina Cuisine was very interesting to us. The unique cuisine of Peru had us entranced, and Astrid y Gaston really delivered.

 

Of course the Missus got Cuy, yet again.

Appetizer, drinks, and mains for two, for the equivalent of $80/US! Plus, a glimpse of the future of Peruvian cuisine.......

- Dinner at Tamarind: Luang Prabang

After attending the Tamarind Cooking School, we made reservations for dinner at Tamarind. And what a dinner it was, I had to do two posts to cover the meal. The meal we made reservations for was called the "Adventurous Lao Gourmet", and after checking out the local Wet Market, I could only imagine what we'd be having.....

And for the equivalent of $12 per person, this degustation style meal surely delivered.

From various "Jeow" (dips).....

to "Fish Poo".....

And steamed pigs brains.....

 

And of course, the various insects..... some of which I enjoyed more than others.

Even beyond the  "look at what I'm eating" attention seeking thingy, I learned so much during this meal. Joy, one of the owners presents each course, and explains a bit about each dish.

Remember the quote from Brillat-Savarin: "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." Well this meal displayed to me resourcefulness, "Thao" a wonderful Jeow made from Spyrogyra, what some call "pond scum", salt-pickling, fish curd, and yes, even "Fish Poo" where the intestinal matter of the fish is used for preservation displays one of the most basic means of preserving food without modern refrigeration. The steamed pig brains is a cherished item, as Joy told us it "what you'll make for your children if you love them." 

All of which was eaten with that Lao staple, sticky rice.

There's a peaceful, gentle, friendly tolerance we encountered everywhere in Laos.

- Dinner on Shores of the Mekong

Vientiane was quite a contrast from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and even Nong Khai. Sometimes you happen upon just the right meal at the perfect time. And this was it. There are a huge number of stands along the Mekong river. For some reason, we decided to stick with the one we first passed early on. It was wasn't a huge set-up like the other stands, but the folks running the stand seemed so warm and friendly.

Sitting on a makeshift bamboo platform, I could feel all the tension and worries lazily drift down the Mekong. Of course, the Beerlao didn't hurt!

Some of the food, like the stir fried Morning Glory was good.

 

Other items like the whole fish, was just okay......

What really sent this meal to the "memorable list" was the act of thoughtfulness by the folks who ran this stand. You'll have to read the post to get that story. Let me just say, that along with being the best Nem Khao I've ever had......

It was a great introduction to the thoughtfulness of the folks in Laos.

And hey, that sunset wasn't too bad either!

So there you go...... Five memorable meals. There are a few more that I could probably add.

 
But it's those five that we talk about the most.....

You know, there's a song I've been listening to quite a bit lately. To me, it's got a great hook..... but I also realized that there's a line of the song that always makes me smile:

"Seems like everywhere I go
The more I see
the less I know" - Say Hey (I Love You), Michael Franti & Spearhead

Keep warm and dry this weekend! Thanks for reading!

Lists and more lists: Our most memorable meals part 1

This is the time of year for lists..... and more lists. First there's the Christmas shopping list, then the post Xmas return list, followed by that all too inevitable New Years resolution list, and so forth. I often get asked to do lists, stuff like Pho restaurants, eating itineraries for visitors (which I love to do BTW - it's just that I'm kinda slow on the email thing), and other stuff. Recently, Dennis asked me if I was going to do an updated 10 photos post, and I thought about it, but after a bit of pondering I gave up. You see, we average somewhere around 300 or so posts a year, and picking a few photos out of those...... well you see what I mean, right? And yet, because it is the time of the year for lists, I just felt I needed to do one. And so I pulled out an often requested list, of our most memorable meals, not in any order, and kinda off the top of my head. Now note that that is "our" list, which is, the Missus and I, which automatically excludes places like......

 
Urasawa, which was a ginourmous three part post......

And even though we've had some very memorable dishes like the Roasted Whole Sparrows from Highway 4 in Hanoi......

  Which was really delicious..... or even sannakji (live octopus), which I thought was less so....

Or even Prahok, a fermented Cambodian fish paste, made more interesting by the sour little crunchy things....

 
 Which turned out to be little red tree ants. The list is memorable meals, not memorable dishes.....  hey, that could be another list!

And there were those stories, like the young lady in Siem Reap named Akin, who came to work in the city at the age of 9!

 
Akin, an orphan who never knew her parents nor siblings, felt the need to comfort us when we were so touched and distressed by her story by sharing with us her philosophy on life: "no worries, no worries, I'm Happy-Happy every day!"

And since it's meals, not drink, I need to exclude the Chicha de Jora from a dirt-floored roadside shack in Calca. 

Frothy, yeasty, and light, it's a wonderful beverage. There's just one thing you need to understand about Chicha de Jora, to quote: "In order to start the fermentation process, the maize is moistened in the maker's mouth.....the digestive enzymes in saliva helps to break down the starches and start the fermentation process. In fact, it is thought that the modern name for this drink is based on the Spanish word "chichal", which means to spit".

I'd also need to exclude the best "hootch" I've ever had, Snake Ruou (rice wine):

 
From Quoc Phuong Ecological Farm in Le Mat, outside of Hanoi:

We've found that there's no way to get to know the folks than by trying out some of the local "beverages":

After all, if it comes out of a rusty old barrel, through a bamboo tube, it's gotta be good, right? 

Hmmmm..... another list! I'll stop now, and leave this list for later. But I'm wondering, how many of you have been reading for the last four years or so. And if you have.... first I'd like to thank you so much for reading! Second, are there any posts which stand out in your mind.... or perhaps you'd like to take a stab at what you think were our most memorable meals?

Thanks for reading!

Leaving Luang Prabang......

It was hard to believe that we had spent an entire 5 nights in Luang Prabang. When on vacation, I'm usually ready to go, be it Lima, Cusco, Hanoi, or where ever, I have no second thoughts when leaving. But Luang Prabang had gotten to me. It had become a matter of "just wanted's". You know.....I just wanted another dinner at Tamarind.....I just wanted another morning to watch the "Saffron Circuit":

    

I just wanted another morning walk through the Fresh Market:

   

We just wanted another morning of exploration, fueled by the energy drink of choice in Luang Prabang, M-150....which you can get here in San Diego if you wish. We saw folks buying this stuff by the caseload.

We just wanted one more knock on our door during the evening, marking the delivery of a nightly snack at our hotel:

And we just wanted another visit to the quirky, but interesting Palace Museum:

 

We found the organization in the former "Queen's Reception Room" of gifts from various countries to be quite telling.....all of the Communist Countries were on one side of the room, all of the gifts from Democratic Countries were on the other.

As we walked to pick up a "little something for the flight" at one of the stands at the end of the fresh market:

 

And grabbed our last cup of Lao Coffee, the Missus and I talked about how we had slowly, but surely gotten used to things in Luang Prabang. The city is not very large, and you'll start noticing the same people rather quickly. For us, it was the various dogs.......

"Ice Cream Boy" was our favorite.

 

We called him "Ice Cream Boy" because we twice saw him sitting on his Owner's lap, sharing a cup of Ice Cream...same spoon and all.

And there was 'Hannibal':

 

You know why we called him Hannibal, right? Poor guy, he looked so docile. I don't know what terrible deed he committed to be relegated to such a fate.

This is the Missus's favorite dog photo in Luang Prabang:

 

At the "ping" (grill) stand, I had thoughts about trying out the pork belly.

 

But instead we went with the "Water Buffalo Patties", which tasted much like a herbaceous and spicy "Bun Cha", and a bag of sticky rice:

 

We also grabbed one of these Bamboo Tubes, filled with coconut flavored sticky rice, much like Com Tam, but much sweeter, and larger. This was good stuff, and never made it out of our room.

 

I asked the Missus what made an impression on Her....and the answers were interesting. She was so fascinated with the pots and bamboo steamers....

 

Charcoal braziers were everywhere, with curls of steam rising into the air. The fragrance of sticky rice permeated portions of the Fresh Market.

The Missus actually had one of the local Night Market "artists" do a pencil drawing for Her, which I'm sure will end up in a frame one of these days.

The Missus was also drawn to the school......which reminded Her of the school She attended growing up. We'd usually stop on our way back to the hotel to watch the flag lowering ceremony.

 

The Missus would always tell me "look, look, all the parents and siblings are waiting...."

 

"OK, watch the flag is being lowered...watch all the children...they're going to goooo!"

 

It seemed like the clock was being turned backwards.......as She was enjoying a part of Her youth.

Packing our bags, we waited for our "car"....which in this case, was really a car ("no worries...car is in-clu-ded") to the airport:

 

And next up was Chiang Mai!

Postscript: We had given our email address to one of the really nice young men at Chang Inn. A few weeks after our return, we received an email from him. Attached to the email was a beautiful, obviously professional photo of Luang Prabang(so of course it's not being posted)from the air. The simple text to the photo was: "This is my home"..............

Thanks for letting us share this with you.....

Luang Prabang: Across the Khan, across the Mekong, and Antique House Restaurant

The Missus and I realize, that what we see on our travels is not reality for most residents. Many times, as tourists, we encounter the most polished facet of the gemstone. Growing up in a major tourist destination, I understand the importance of putting your best foot forward. It always leaves us curious as to what everyday life is, and where exactly do the "real people" live? In Luang Prabang, there's a charming wooden bridge that crosses the Khan River, on the other side of Mount Phousi, South of the center fo central Luang Prabang. It is a pedestrian, bicycle, and motorcycle only bridge.

 

For some unknown reason, I found the bridge fascinating, and charming.....

 

Pedestrians cross on either side of the bridge. Wooden planks have been nailed in place...sort of. Some of the slats move around rather too freely for my comfort, and you can see the river Khan flowing below your feet.

 

On the other side is a rather beaten road to the airport, with dirt roads branching off.

 

When we crossed back, we saw a group of Monks crossing on the other side of the bridge. It seems that Monks always look much more graceful..... Even just simply walking across a bridge.

On the morning of our third day in Luang Prabang it rained pretty hard. Of course the Monks are out rain or shine collecting their morning alms.

 

And of course, it was on this morning that the Missus decided that She wanted to see the "other side of the Mekong." Of course......

After 10 years of marriage, I've learned that there are just times that the Missus will not be denied. And this was one of those times. She led me along the road that parallels the Mekong, to some stairs leading down to the river.

 

I tried to tell Her that this wasn't the streets of New York. You just don't hail a boat like you'd flag down a cab. Lucky for me, before I opened my fat mouth, an empty slow boat pulled up!

 

I let the Missus bargain with the boatsman. And before you knew it we were motoring to the other side of the Mekong. We arrived at some stairs, and the gentleman steering the boat, pointed downriver, telling us to catch our return boat downstream.

 

Up the stairs, we arrived at Wat Long Khun (Temple of the Blessed Song).

 

I've read that during the days of the monarchy, newly crowned Kings would spend three days at the Wat before coronation to meditate. It certainly is peaceful.

 

And not a soul to be seen due to the rain.

There is also Wat Tham Xieng Maen built in a limestone cave Northwest of Wat Long Khun, but it was just too wet and muddy for us to check it out. We'll leave it for next time.

 

After walking along the trail for a bit, we came along some stairs. At the base of the stairs was a lean-to. I told the Missus to wait....and soon enough a young lady appeared, and we paid a small entrance fee, to climb up those stairs.

This was Wat Cham Phet, which was built by the Thai army in 1888. According to Lonely Planet, one of the Stupas here contain the bones of Chao Thong Di, the wife of King Sakkarin.

   

The Wat is very quiet and peaceful, and a bit overgrown.

 

Whatever the history may be, one thing is for sure. The views are wonderful, even on a rainy, overcast day like today.

 

After this, the main objective was to make it back across the Mekong.

 

After walking a bit on the dirt trails....the main subject of conversation was how they got construction materials here, and passing several well water hand pumps, we arrived at an long concrete "pad".

 

I'm guessing that this was Ban Xiengmane. Based on the stares, I'm guessing that the locals weren't expecting some rather soggy tourists to be walking through their village on a day like today. Just as I was thinknig this wasn't so bad, the "road" ended....and it was "mosh-pit" the rest of the way. Ankle (or more) deep mud, as you stepped into it, the suction threatened to suck your shoes right off.

Finally making our way to Ban Xieng Man, we worked our way down to the Mekong. No stairs this time, just a muddy slope, to hire a boat. One quick lesson for me....I was busy trying to take what ended up being this photo:

 

When I suddenly ended up flat on my back staring up at the lovely Lao sky.......and sliding my way down to the Mekong. Lucky for me, I stopped short of meeting the Mekong. And eventually we made our way back to our hotel. And after a quick hosing down, I was good as new. As the Missus and I say, "it ain't a vacation until I fall or get bad sunburn......"

Antique House Restaurant:

 

The Missus and I were intrigued by the restaurant right across the street from Somchan Restaurant. It always seemed busy. So one evening we decided to check it out. Big mistake; I should have noticed the clues. The first clue was the big "cheap" Beer Lao sign:

   

Unbelievable........though the menu looked interesting....

Second clue. When we arrived, we noticed the place was staffed with a large group of young ladies..... Third clue, all the customers were male, and looked to be Thai.

 

In spite of this we moved forward, and placed our order......

Khai Pene.

 

The classic Luang Prabang fried dried river moss dish, which you can read about in other posts. This version was not fried at the right temperature, devoid of the crushed garlic and tomato, kinda soggy and oily. Just check out the pool of oil.

 The Dried Beef:

 

Halfway between Pork Sung (Rousong) and Chinese Beef Jerky, and not bad with Beer Lao. This would turn out to be the best dish of the night. As the Cucumber Salad was not very good:

 

It should have been seeded, and the "dressing" was very, very, sweet...lacking the savory, pungent flavors we had become accustomed to.

And the Luang Prabang salad, (Nyam Salat), was just plain strange.

   

The dressing had no egg yolk in it, and it was much too sweet. And what to make of the peanuts...and ground pork?

Yes, we should have seen the clues...this was a Bar catering to Thai male tourists...... Oh well, live and learn. We would have been happy with this:

 

Luang Prabang: Dinner at Tamarind Part 2

The first half of dinner at Tamarind had already been quite an adventure, and though we didn't know it at the time, there was much more to come.

Next up was this Or Lam like stew. It lacked much of the bitter tones of Or Lam, and was fairly hearty, and studded with sticky rice, which probably contributed to the thickness of the broth.

   

The highlite of the soup were all the small frogs, which were fairly sweet. You ate the frogs whole, the bones were soft. The Missus loved the flavor of the frogs.....which She called "crab-like."

 

Next up was the plate that would probably be the most challenging for any Westerner.... yes, bugs!

Also on the plate were two large "Mok" - banana leaf wrapped items, and a eel that had been grilled in the typical Lao style.

 

The eel was hard.....like eating solid bone.

The large packet contained a flower that we had seen all through the Fresh Market, always surrounded by swarms of fruit flies...it must be really sweet.

   

It had been stuffed with pork, and was very, very tasty. Even better than Mok Pa, it literally melted in our mouths.

As we opened the next packet, Joy suddenly appeared and told us; "here in Luang Prabang, that is what you'll make for your children if you love them." So we opened up the packet.....

  

It tasted sweet, but was a bit "liver-y" for me. The Missus on the other hand loved this, calling it, "really rich, and almost like crab brains and eggs." I knew this was something from the organ/offal category. Can you guess what it is? This folks......was pig brains. Even though this was so rich She barely finished it, the Missus still smacks Her lips when I mention this.

Of course I know that you only really want to hear about the bugs......

The various critters really challenged you mentally rather than flavor-wise. The grasshopper were fairly nutty, the crickets a bit more gamey. I really, really enjoyed the tiny bugs that looked like small Cockroaches, as did that forest bug....they had a nice, almost floral flavor. The Missus didn't care for the Bee Larvae. You basically cracked open the hive, and larvae fell out to the plate.

 

I on the other hand loved the sweet, honey - floral flavor of the larvae. A quick dip into salt actually improved the sweetness.

 

The one bug that we didn't enjoy was this fella':

 

After removing the head, legs, wings, and hard shell, the squishy flesh had a mildly bitter, offal-like flavor.

The next plate (yes, yet another!) that arrived looked positively tame next to what we had just consumed. It looked very familiar to me.

 

It was a plate of herbs, spices, and other items, that would be wrapped in lettuce leaves, and dipped into the tangy tamarind based sauce and consumed. I've had a similar dish in various Thai Restaurants, where it's called Miang Khum.  Curious about this, I inquired, and found out it is a popular party appetizer in Luang Prabang. Unfortunately, I forgot to get the Lao name for this dish. Upon my return, I turned to David Thompson's awesome book Thai Food, where I found a listing for "Miang Lao". Thompson claims a Northern Thai origin for the dish, but notes that the version in the book is of Lao origin. I'm sure a few readers will chime in on this.

It was a nice palate cleansing end to the meal...in which we had finished several glasses of LaoLao and two containers of sticky rice each, in addition to all the food.

The Missus told me, "I wish we could squeeze in another meal here......." All the more reason to return.

The meal ended with a typical sticky rice confection, which reminded me of arare. I had already consumed an entire bag of this that I had purchased earlier, so I had no problem polishing these off.

As well strolled the one block back to our room, I reflected on all the amazing meals we've had over the last 2 years. Meals that had changed our opinions on food, from an amazing home made Cuy dinner in Cusco, to Astrid y Gaston in Lima. Roasted Sparrows at Highway 4 in  Hanoi and 10 courses of snake in Le Mat. A lunch with a touching toast at Can Cau Market, dinner with the guy with 2 wives in Bac Ha, learning that you should be "Happy Happy Everyday" in Siem Reap...and so many more. All of these meals (and many more)  have really added color to our lives. Thank you for honor of letting us share them with you all.

Luang Prabang: Dinner at Tamarind - Part 1

Ok, ok, I'm finally getting around to posting on our dinner at Tamarind. After attending the Tamarind cooking school, I was really excited at the prospect of dinner at Tamarind. There was one special "gourmet" dinner that fascinated me. It was called "The Adventurous Lao Gourmet", a degustation type, multi-course meal. Because the items included in the meal take a bit of what we shall term "shopping", it is imperative to make reservations for the meal. In fact, when I first tried to make reservations, the young lady hesitated, and said to come back after the cooking class. I made it a point to return to the restaurant after the cooking class, and again attempt to make reservations. Again, the young lady hesitated, and called Joy. After chatting briefly in Lao, the young lady hung up and said; "okay, Joy says you'll eat anything....."

    

Which is how we ended up at back at Tamarind at 4pm. (Tamarind closes at 6pm) The interior of Tamarind is much smaller than it appears from the exterior. The walls are lined with photos, and the overall appearance is clean, if a bit spartan.

 

Another reason reservations are required for this meal, is that either Joy or Carolyn will present the dishes, describe what you're eating (yes, you'll need that info), and answer questions. And I had many, many, questions.

Everything is served with the Lao staple, sticky rice:

 

The first plate soon arrived, and it was as beautiful (at least to us), as it was exotic looking:

 

As I was digging through my photos, I realized that I have photos of almost everything except the item in the middle right, which was a green bean and "mushroom" (cloud ear fungus) salad, which would have been fairly routine, except for the fresh tenderness of the fungus.

On the upper left, was a fern shoot salad:

 

I grew up eating "Pohole" (i.e. Warabi, Fern Shoots), so this wasn't a real big deal. It was very mild in flavor, but very fresh.

Next to it was something I hadn't had before, a Jeow (Lao dip) made of what they call "Lao Olive".

 

It had a salty-fruity-mildly spicy flavor, which was very satisfying. The Missus loved this. The Missus even went after the olive on the side....which tasted like....an olive of course. Wonderful dish. The flowers topping the olive dip are Hop blossoms, which are edible.

To the right of the olive dip was the Jeow King, the Lao Ginger dip.

 

This was a bracingly spicy dip, the ginger brought up the heat from the dish, as did the ginger leaves. Talk about waking you up.....

Next up was sticky rice flavored with coconut, and I believe taro, roasted in leaves.

 

This was more like a dessert.

 

There were two powders in the lower center part of the plate:

 

On the left was ground pumpkin seeds, nice and nutty, and good for rolling your sticky rice in. On the right, was dried and ground "bok choy", quite bitter in flavor. The ever present bitter flavor in Lao food made its appearance again.

On the lower left was sliced pork "rind", with sticky rice powder, and chilies.

 

I had expected this to taste like Vietnamese "Bi", but man was this good. The strands of rind almost melted in our mouths, and the flavor was excellent, a sweet-porkiness that made you wanting more. Mmmmm, pork with the texture of butter......

In the middle of the plate was a greenish-gooey substance called "Sa Thao". This dish was made with the algae genus, Spirogyra...sometimes called "pond scum". Khai Pene, the river moss that I'd been eating in all the restaurants, is made from algae genus, Cladophora glomerata. A totally different species.

   

The algae is pounded with eggplant, garlic, green beans, and spices, making for a wonderful savory, gooey, dip. The Missus blasted through this like there was no tomorrow. We had also blown through a container of sticky rice each, as well as a few glasses of flavored Lao Lao (rice whiskey).

We sure did some damage.

 

When the Missus had sopped up the last of the Sa Thao, our next plate arrived:

 

Joy had seen how the Missus went after the Sa Thao, so he made sure we had another bowl!

On the upper left are water buffalo patties(Buffalo Sausage), much like a very spicy-herbacious Bun Cha:

 

I sensed a real tingling while eating this, and Joy told me that Sichuan Peppercorns are used in the meat patties. Very nice, in fact, we tracked some down from one of the grill stands on our way out of Luang Prabang.

Pickled Pork Skin and pickled garlic:

 

Tasted like pickled pork skin......and pickled garlic. Nice refresher, though.

The Water Buffalo Jerky was decent, but nothing we hadn't had before.

 

The salted-pickled fish tasted great......

 

If a bit tough....think of it as Lao pickled herring if you must. Two of the basic preservation techniques, salting and pickling used to perfection.

Pickled Fish "Curd".

 

So well pickled that this almost tasted sweet, with a mild fishy background.

And than it was the most interesting item on the plate:

 

No it's not the "Pork Sung"(Rousong) on the left. It's the item to the right. When I asked what that was, Joy told me, "fish poo." "Fish poo?" "Yes, fish poo." Apparently, the fish is gutted, than all the intestinal matter is scraped out and used in preserving the fish......and you have "fish poo." Living up to it's name, the outer layer tasted quite funky, dark, and dank. The fish itself was soft, tender, and quite mild.

Each plate had given us insight to Luang Prabang food, from the various dips, to the items that  used classic preservation techniques; salting, pickling, and drying, we had learned much about what what was eaten in homes, on the rivers, and perhaps even the forest. And much of it was delicious to boot. We had not been sure how much food we'd be eating, and had even thought, that this was it.....but we weren't even half way through!

Stay tuned for part 2!

Luang Prabang: Pak Ou Caves, a LaoLao break, and Tat Sae

*** No food in this one.... just drink. If you're interested in the Pak Ou caves, and more waterfalls, read on......

Every guidebook on Luang Prabang mentions, and recommends a visit to the Pak Ou Caves. Located about 25 kilometers from Luang Prabang, the caves are said to have been originally used for worship of the river spirit. When Buddhism was accepted, the use of the caves changed. And over time, the Pak Ou Grottoes have become a repository of approximately 4,000 or so Buddhas. Wow, caves, grottoes, the Mekong...... I'm sold.

The Missus and I, desiring more freedom, decided that instead of taking the usual boat trip up and down the Mekong, we'd hire our own Jumbo, and take the overland route. The relatively new highway made the going pretty quick.

 

Until we turned off the main road and headed to Ban Pak Ou, the village across the Mekong from the caves. This last 10 kilometers took almost an hour.

 

  It had rained pretty darn hard that morning (subject of a future post), and our trip turned into a mire-fest. Along with the spine smashing dips in the road, our faithful driver "Fong" dealt with some pretty nasty hydoplaning, and there were a few times where I thought we were going to get stuck in the mud. But Fong got us to our destination, and the Missus and I kinda enjoyed the ride. At least I enjoyed it after I managed to straighten out my spine.

In Ban Pak Ou, we hired a boat, which took us across the Mekong. This is the route that the pilgrims take to the caves during Lao New Year. I can only imagine what an ordeal this must've been before the highway. When the entire trip was taken on the dirt road.

 

The view of the caves while crossing the Mekong is breathtaking.

 

 

 

There are two caves at Pak Ou. The lower cave Tham Ting, which is about 50 feet or so above the Mekong, and the large, and pitch dark Tham Phum, a stairway climb up the cliff.

What did I think? Well, if you are Buddhist, or love Buddhas, you'll love the Pak Ou Caves, there are figures everywhere.

 

As for me, I found the view out of Tham Ting to be the most photogenic, and enjoyable.

 

 

We had a little surprise on the boat ride back across the Mekong.

 

Looks like we've got a boat "pilot in training". For some reason, the Missus and I were touched seeing the family trade being passed from Father to Son. Though the son may need a bit more training, as he overshot the bamboo landing and Dad, putting his slipper over his hands had to paddle us back to the landing. Fong, the Missus, and I couldn't help but crack up!

After landing, I made sure to shake the young man's hand, and told him "kopchai lai-lai" (thank you very much), which he found quite humorous.

 

The road had dried up quite a bit on our return trip. And before we hit the little village of Ban Xang Hai, something happened which I think we'll always remember.

As Fong was driving up the dirt road, we noticed a bike approaching going in the opposite direction. Peddling was an older man with a young girls packed on the back. As the bike passed us, Fong picked up on something and said, "aahh, look, look!" At which time the man on the bike whistled, and an elephant came running out of the brush! An honest to goodness elephant. The Missus and I let out yelps of startled joy, and I totally forgot to take a photo. The Missus finally collected Her wits and managed this shot.

 

Man that elephant was hauling, I'm guessing they were heading home for lunch? They don't call Luang Prabang the "Kingdom of a Million Elephants" for nothin'. This was one of those, "remember the time........" moments for us.

Soon enough it was time for the "tourist" break.

 

  All over the well touristed areas of Luang Prabang you'll see signs like the one to the right. And it is true, a bottle of Lao Lao (Lao whiskey - moonshine, if you will) is cheaper than bottled water. If I recall, a bottle of water ran you 10,000 Kip, Lao-Lao 8,000 Kip.

And the village of Ban Xang Hai is well known for it's Lao-Lao. Actually, the name of the village of under 100 people is "Jar-maker Village", but I guess now they are more in the business of filling those jars instead of making them.

 

Lao-Lao is big business here, and everything has been set-up for purchase by thirsty tourists.

 

  And yet, I was charmed by the nice folks, and loved the "instructional sign" on how Lao-Lao is created. You can't help but smile when you read it.

Plus, when we returned back home, and watched a rerun of No Reservations, this is where that snarky, cranky, loveable lush, Tony Bourdain and his crew had Lao-Lao. If it's good enough for Bourdain......

 

  Being used to their share of  firewater seeking Westerners, some of the Ladies spoke passable mono-syballic English, and amanged to demonstrate how Lao-Lao is made.

As the sign says, in goes sticky rice and water, and out comes Lao-Lao. I received a taste of the stuff as it came out of the bamboo tube, nice and hot. It tasted almost like hot sake. Since it is made from rice, I guess that makes perfect sense. And of course, I had to buy a bottle, of which I don't remember the price, probably since I finished the bottle that very evening.

 

And it tasted nothing like sake....I remember that much.

We returned to Luang Prabang, and Fong drove thru the city and about 15 kilometers South to the village of Ban Aen. Catching a boat at Ban Aen we headed upriver for about 5 minutes to Tat Sae, another popular waterfall.

 

The scenery was wonderful, but I remember being distracted by the fact that the young man steering the boat had to constantly bail water out of the craft as we headed to the falls.

 

What really caught the Missus's attention when we arrived were the Elephants.

 

We bought two stalks of bananas which the elephants went through in less than five minutes.

 

When you look an elephant in the eye, you can't help but realize that there's some real intelligence there.

 

 

The whole experience was ruined when the Missus noticed that the elephants were heavily chained, and we watched one getting whacked with a baseball bat sized piece of wood......

The falls at Tat Sae are not very high, but are beautiful in their own right. There are several levels of limestone falls, which pass around and through the trees and the forest.

 

 

There are several large pool areas were folks can swim, and the water is clean, if a bit milky looking from the limestone.

 

You can walk over, and around the falls on a system of bridges, some of which are a bit precarious, but kinda makes you feel like you're a kid again....

 

We had done a bit, and the day wasn't over, but we needed to head back to Luang Prabang.

Our driver for the trip was Fong. He had driven the Missus around on the previous day while I had been taking my cooking class. And I think he felt pretty comfortable with us. On the trip up to the Pak Ou Caves he asked if it was all right to pick up his family, who needed to go to the rice fields for harvesting. He really didn't need to ask. And so we met Fong's wife, daughter, son, brother (who's a University student), and Mother, all packed into the back of the Jumbo, it's a great way to get to know folks. And of course there was the inevitable question; "ok, you are American. But what are you really?" If we're ever back in Luang Prabang, we'll make sure to find Fong....

  

As always, half the fun is getting there (and back)..........

Luang Prabang: Tamarind Cooking School Part 2

After a interesting visit to Phousy Market, we arrived at a riverside home for our cooking class. The class would take place outdoors, and items were already in place for our class.

   

Looking over the ingredients got me excited. I realized that most of the folks taking the class were looking to kill some time, but I just wanted to get going.

 

 

What made this really fun was the total "hands-on" approach. We were give ingredients, and verbal instructions, and cooked by "feel", which was effective on many levels(we were given recipes after the class). You may not have a clue about the cuisine, but you instinctively build dishes to your taste, which is why the same dish differs so much from place to place.

Another big change for me was.....everything was cooked on charcoal braziers.

 

No thermometers, no dials, just use of your senses, something that Joy subtly emphasized. "It is ok, so long it tastes good to you...."

And since everything starts with sticky rice.....

 

Some of the key points, soak at least 3-4 hours, but overnight is the best. Lightly massage the rice before draining. After placing rice in the bamboo steamer, pour water over rice and the edges of the steamer. After 20-30 minutes, remove the steamer from the pot of boiling water, and "flip" over. The rice turned out perfect, but I'm still not comfortable with making it.

 

What I found interesting was that unlike most recipes I've read for making this, we never covered the rice!

The next item on the agenda was a Jeow, the wonderful Lao "dip". We had choices of Jeow Mak Keua (Eggplant Dip), or the Jeow Mak Len (Tomato Dip). This is where I learned the concept of a "Lao pinch", which is twice as much as what I think of as a "pinch". It is key to roast the peppers and the eggplant or tomato. And since returning I've made this several times. It is quite easy.

 

The concept of "Western spicy" (1-4 peppers) versus "Lao spicy" (10-12 chilies) was humorous.

If making the Jeow introduced me to the use of the mortar and pestle in Lao cooking, making the Mok Pa, drove it home.

 

The mortar funnels the scents of the items being bruised, mixed, and crushed right up to your nose. You really get in touch with what you're making.

I've already posted a modified recipe, which you can find here. Of course, being all thumbs, it was easy to iidentify my "packet".

  

Next up, Joy demonstrated how to trim Sa-Khan.

 

Yes indeed, we were going to make Or Lam (Lao stew). When I asked about substitutes for the bark of genus Piper Ribesioides, I was first told black peppercorns, then Joy, turned to me and said, "for you, I know you can get Sichuan Peppercorns, so use that, but do not toast." Ah yes, the Lao affinity for the numbing bitterness......

Everything was placed into a pot, along with lemongrass, pea eggplants, cloud ear fungus, etc. The thickening agent was a ball of day old sticky rice, roasted briefly over charcoal, than pounded with a pestle.

 

Water added, stew on the charcoal, Joy, being much the slave driver said, "it's time for a break." So while things were being set-up for the next portion of our class, we relaxed and partook in a Laolao tasting. Joy also brought out the small bamboo tube he had left Phousy Market with, and asked, "anyone want to try this?" Opening the tube, out poured a bunch of wiggly, squiggly, silk worms. Being with an adventurous bunch, there an immediate "yes" was the response. The silkworms were taken to the "real kitchen", and soon a small plate of fried silkworms dusted with salt arrived.

 

If you like fried, you'll like these. Crisp and light, it's sort of like shoestring potatoes... I don't know why restaurants here in the States don't serve this, they are very innocuous.

A few minutes later, revived by some good Laolao (Lao home-made whiskey) and fried silkworms, Joy grabbed a stalk of lemongrass, and started cutting slits into it.

 

Finely chopped chicken was distributed, and Joy instructed us as to the ingredients for Ua Si Khai, Stuffed Lemongrass. Meat, be it chicken, pork, or beef, is chopped and placed into a mortar along with coriander, scallions, garlic, kaffir lime leaf, and salt, and pounded into a thick and rough paste. It is subsequently stuffed into the lemongrass. We each made two stuffed lemongrass, the first was grilled over charcoal.

 

The second was put aside, and later coated with egg and deep-fried.

As the stuffed lemongrass was being grilled, our Or Lam was ready. The fragrance was a heady mix of anise-woodsy-earthy smells. The anise accents via the use of "Lao basil" (holy basil). We each had a small bowl of Or Lam, and had a shot at the Sa-Kahn.

 

I bit into the bark, and got an instant shot of the numbing-hot ("Ma"), bitter flavor of the Sa-Khan. Sort of like Sichuan Peppercorn without the floral touches, adding in a puckering bitterness.

The Or Lam itself, was the best I had tasted to date.

 

As we finished off the Or Lam, our grilled stuffed lemongrass was ready.

 

The unanimous response as we ate these were; "did we actually make this?" It was wonderful!

Soon enough it was time to get back cooking. It was time to make "Koy", a mixed salad of sorts. Joy mentioned the difference between Koy and Laap, but I must apologize, as I don't recall it. It just gives me reason to return no? Again, we split fish, or water buffalo....guess what I chose?

 

At this point, Joy told us, "I have something for you. This is an important ingredient in Water Buffalo Koy in Luang Prabang."

 

"It is optional, but we like Water Buffalo bile in our Koy." I've had Pinapaitan, a very popular Ilocano dish, where beef bile is front and center before, so it was no big deal for me, but there were no other takers. I thought that the tablespoon of bile I added to my Koy just added to the flavor. BTW, Sab E Lee will sometimes have beef bile available for their Koi Soi which adds a dimension to the dish.

   

 

At this point, we proceeded to deep fry our stuffed lemongrass dipped in egg wash. After the stuffed lemongrass was ready, we moved off to a table to eat (yet again!), the rest of our dishes.

 

I hope you excuse the pictures, the challenges of taking while in the midst of a cooking class is quite hard.

While consuming the fruits of our labor, again the initial response was, "I can't believe I made this...."

So let me ask you, would you like me to do a post on anything you've seen. I'm willing to, or have already made some of the dishes, and would gladly do a post on anything except sticky rice, which I feel needs a bunch of practice, and Or Lam (because I don't think I can find Sa-Kahn).

For those of us not born, married, or exposed to the cuisine,  Tamarind's Cooking Classes can make us believers..... 

Luang Prabang: Tamarind Cooking School Part 1 - Trip to Phousy Market

In previous Luang Prabang post, I mentioned two personal rules that I broke during our stay in Luang Prabang. The first was buying t-shirts, the second was taking a cooking class. I had never really been interested in taking a cooking class, but because we were staying in Luang Prabang for 6 days, why not? Plus, I really didn't know very much about Lao, or Luang Prabang cuisine. I had read up a bit about Tamarind Restaurant, and thought why not? The Missus made other "shopping" plans for the day, and I made reservations for the cooking class.

Tamarind was located right around the corner from our hotel, right across from Wat Nong Sikhounmuong.

     

The class is pretty much an all-day affair, and cost $25 US. The fearless leader of our group of Aussies, Brits, French, and yours truly, the token Asian-American was Joy Ngeuamboupha, who, along with Caroline Gaylard, own Tamarind. Joy and his sisters work the kitchen of Tamarind.

   

The first part of the class was a market tour of Phousy Market, which is the largest market in Luang Prabang, and supplies many of the homes and restaurants in Luang Prabang. Phousy Market (also spelled Phosy Market) is vastly different in scale than the morning Fresh Market, the products sold are much more mainstream (relatively), and there are some pretty large vendors in the market.

We all jumped on a soon to be overloaded tuk-tuk, and headed off to market.

 

I'll keep the text down to descriptions, a few things I learned about Lao food and eating habits, and a few anecdotes from here on.

As with all of these type of markets, everything is separated.

 

Which included the all important Water Buffalo Skin.

 

Available in all shapes and sizes, I was most familiar with the slices used for Jeow Bong, the wonderful Chili Dip.

   

Of course there were dried chilies:

 

And Padek in many stages of, ummm, fermentation.

   

Joy noted: "As you can see, no flies. When it is good, the flies won't touch it!" I thought perhaps the inverse was true......

One large portion was devoted to the varied produce available in Luang Prabang.

 

 

 

Here's Joy with a piece of Sa-Khan (piper ribesioides), which is used in the making of Or Lam, the various Lao stews.

 

And of course, there were "Hops", the stuff we saw eveyone munching on. I also learned that the flowers are edible as well.

 

And of course chilies, like these bright little ones:

 

At this stop Joy asked if anyone wanted to try one of these chilies. Seeing there were no takers, I decided to volunteer. Now Mom always told me, "the smaller the chili, the hotter it is." And man were these tiny chilies hot! Even though I didn't let the chili touch my lip, I felt an almost scalding heat in my mouth. I wanted to let out a "whooooaaa", but could only let out a "gakkkk." At which point I noticed that all the women vendors had stopped, and were watching me. They just started cracking up, and laughing. Joy told me, "the ladies say, only the tourists are crazy enough to eat these chilies by themselves......"

As we walked pass the fruits, and stopped by this lovely pile of Sapodilla, Joy answered aquestion I had about fruit. We had noticed a lack of fruit in the very tropical Luang Prabang, and I was wondering why.

 

The reason? It is believed that fruit is for the very young, and the very old, who have problems chewing, or little or no teeth.

Eggs were another little learning moment for me.

 

All eggs that are produced in Laos are stamped. If there are no stamps on the eggs it means that it was probably imported. Eggs with what looks like hand written numbers on them are fertilized duck or chicken eggs (aka Balut), and the numbers indicate the gestational age of the eggs.

And soon it was off to the meat "department":

 

 

I learned that in Luang Prabang, offal is much more expensive and treasured than lean cuts.

 

I also learned that Water Buffalo is getting to be much more expensive. Machinery is slowly replacing the Water Buffalo for use in agriculture, so there are less of them.

I was also surprised at how many turkeys I saw.

 

With the Mekong River on one side, and the Khan River on the other, you knew that fish and other products of the river was quite important.

 

This catfish was very much alive, and even tried to bite my finger off. I was told that it can live for quite a long while out of the water.

 

On the outer perimeter of the market reside some of the more interesting items, like bee larvae hives.

 

And all manner of dried "meat".

 

You could make out some fish, birds, and various rodents. But I had no clue what some of this stuff was.

Soon enough, Joy met us at the tuk-tuk, with a little plastic bag filled with greenish liquid, and a little bamboo tube. I guess it was time to start cookin'!

Stay tuned for part 2!

Luang Prabang: Tat Kuang Si, Boungnasouk Restaurant, and the Night Handicraft Market

For us, one of the must visit sites around Luang Prabang is Tat Kuang Si, Kuang Si Waterfall, located about 20 miles South of Luang Prabang. Why? Well, because of this:

 

It's pretty easy to get to...you hire a "Jumbo", who drops by a "ticket office" and get admission to falls for you.

 

The Jumbo will park in a parking-shopping-eating area, and you can take one of either two routes. One is a well paved asphalt road, and the other is a pretty easy forest trail that meanders it's way up to the falls.

 

Some of it was mildly reminiscent of Kbal Spean in Cambodia.

You could hear the water rushing down alongside the forest trail. There were a few areas where folks can swim in the crystal clear water. Also along the trail is the Luang Prabang Bear Rescue Center. 

   

All the bears here have been confiscated from poachers, and they all looked to be in good shape. Adriactic Black Bears (Moon Bears) are endangered, mostly due to Habitat Fragmentation, and the market for bear parts and bile. 

You can find more info here. 

   

Funny, there are two things that I've never, ever done on our international vacations...... one of them is buy a t-shirt. But Laos finally broke me, I ended up buying a "Free the Bears" t-shirt, as well as a BeerLao t-shirt. I also broke the other rule, more about that later......

 

As we walked up the trail, we passed a few "mini-falls".

 

And to tell you the truth, I had not expected much. I've seen more than my fair share of waterfalls. But I already thought this excursion was well worth the time. There were the bears, and I was enchanted by the pristine looking water.

But as we walked in the clearing and took a look at the falls.....

 

I realize that my lousy photography skills really doesn't do justice to the falls. But for a scale comparison, check out the guy in the photo to the right.

The falls are 180 feet of crystal clear water. There are no liability issues here, you can walk pretty much right up to the falls. And cross on wooden bridges in various states of maintenance.

Boungnasouk Restaurant:

Lunch on that day was at a restaurant we passed on our way back from Somchan Restaurant. Just like the afore mentioned restaurant, Boungnasouk(the restaurant is owned by the guest house across the street) was located with a view over the Mekong.  

 

We had looked over the menu, and thought it would be a decent alternative.

 

Not being very hungry we ordered just a few items. Very predictable items.....

Of course I got the Khai Pene:

 

This version of the dried, pressed, and fried river moss was thinner than the version at Kheam Kong Restaurant, and had more "stuff" going on.

The Jeow Bong came on the side, and was by far the best version we had on the trip.

   

Nice garlic flavor, with a mild spiciness. The water buffalo skin pieces were a bit big, but not too tough.

Of course the Missus got the Luang Prabang Salad:

 

The Salat Nyam was not very good, the dressing lacked any great egg flavor, though the watercress was nice and tender. Boiled Egg slices were also omitted, and while the cucumbers were decent, the tomatoes (strange for Luang Prabang) were under-ripe, and lacked the "flavor of sushine".

To finish things off, we had the Cucumber Salad:

 

This cucumber version, of the more well known papaya salad, was nicely pungent, but the heat had been gringo-ized, and the seeds were not removed before shredding.

Over all, mediocre......

The Night Handicraft Market:

Around 4pm there is Luang Prabang's version of evening "traffic". Sisavangvong, from the National Museum until the intersection of Kitsalat becomes a bustling beehive of activity.

 

Part of it is due to folks heading home, but most of it is because the street is undergoing the transformation to the Night Handicraft Market.

 

The sandwich and fruit drinks booths, move from the area on the corner of Kitsalat, across the main street.

 

Electricity is set-up via a tangle of extension cords on the street.

Food stalls are set-up along the side streets. This woman specialized in pig parts, especially heads. Over several days I spotted her method of keeping herself "nourished". For every three or four pieces she chopped, she ate one!

 

At sundown, the main street is closed, and Sisavangvong becomes a huge market.....of handcrafts of infinite variety.

 

And while the parents sell and socialize, the children study under the glow of the lightbulbs.

 

And the food stalls do a bang up business.

 

Usually having our meals fairly early, we didn't eat much at the stalls. But one night, the Missus saw a vendor making the Lao version of Kanom Krok.

 

And couldn't resist. But these weren't very good, the flavor was off, as was the overall texture.

 

I'm sure if we spent enough time in these alleyways, we'd have found some pretty good, and cheap eats.

 

One of the most entertaining little encounters happened at the Night Market. On our first night in Luang Prabang, walking through the night market, we noticed that many of the women vendors, had branches in their hands. On top of these branches were a nut like fruit. They were cracking away, just going at it. The Missus, who has loves sunflower seeds, was determined to find out what this was. And so we were off on a mission!

The Missus finally cornered a woman who was munching (cracking) away.

 

Not being able to find these.....the Missus was determined to buy them off the woman. Now the Missus fancies Herself as being quite the bargainer, and when the woman said 8,000 Kip, the Missus responded with; "no-no, 4,000 Kip." And so the great deal was made.

The Missus felt proud and quite smug....She had been "Queen of the Deal...Baroness of the Bargain." Of course we turned the corner and found out that a bunch of this stuff went for 2,000 Kip! We also noticed that the woman had already eaten half the bunch!

 

So what was this? I was told it's hops! As in beer hops!

 

And so, every evening, under the heat of the lightbulbs, the Missus became a "hop-popping" machine. "Oh (crack) this is (crack-crunch) sooo (crack - pop) good! I'll (crack-pop-crunch) really miss (crack) it!"