Laos Recipes
Sticky rice, fresh herbs, and the art of larb. Not sure what to eat in Laos? Start with Larb (Lao Herb & Meat Salad), Khao Poon, Khao Tom and Khao Piak Sen. Here are 9 authentic Laos recipes, each from a specific region, with cultural context and dietary substitutions for every table.
9 recipes
Tam Mak Hoong (Lao Green Papaya Salad)Luang Prabang, Laos · easy · 23 minShredded green papaya pounded in a mortar with padaek, lime, chili, garlic, and tomato, the dark, funky, fiery Lao papaya salad.
Tam Mak Hoong (Lao Green Papaya Salad) Larb (Lao Herb & Meat Salad)Luang Prabang, Laos · easy · 25 minWarm minced pork tossed with lime, fish sauce, chili flakes, toasted rice powder, and a garden of herbs.
Or LamLuang Prabang, Laos · medium · 1 h 15 minA Luang Prabang herb stew of meat and vegetables thickened with sticky rice and buzzed with peppery sakhan vine.
Khao Piak SenLuang Prabang, Laos · medium · 1 h 10 minA comforting Lao chicken noodle soup with soft, chewy hand-cut rice-tapioca noodles.
Khao PoonLuang Prabang, Laos · medium · 1 h 10 minA spicy, herbal rice-vermicelli soup in a fragrant coconut-and-chili broth, the celebratory noodle bowl of Laos.
Khao TomLuang Prabang, Laos · easy · 1 h 15 minSweet coconut sticky rice wrapped around banana and steamed in banana leaf, a fragrant Lao treat.
Sai Oua (Luang Prabang Herb Sausage)Luang Prabang, Laos · advanced · 1 h 35 minCoarse, juicy pork sausage packed with lemongrass, galangal, makrut lime leaf, shallot, garlic, chilli and fresh herbs, bound with a little sticky rice and grilled over charcoal.
Nam Khao (Lao Crispy Rice Salad)Luang Prabang, Laos · medium · 1 h 30 minBalls of rice seasoned with red curry paste, coconut and lime leaf, fried until crackling, then broken up and tossed with sour pork sausage, peanuts, herbs, lime and fish sauce, eaten wrapped in lettuce.
Jeow Mak Len (Lao Roasted Tomato and Chilli Dip)Luang Prabang, Laos · easy · 30 minTomatoes, shallots, garlic and chillies charred until blistered, then pounded in a mortar with fish sauce and coriander into a smoky, chunky dip for sticky rice.
📋 Teaching Laos?A free, printable Country of the Week guide for the classroom: geography, a kid-friendly recipe, and discussion prompts.
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