Introduction
Have you ever try to eat a strange menu in Laos? Do you know that we can eat Raw Red Ant Eggs? Have you ever eaten? You may or may not, it depends on your food style and where you live in the world. So, we will have different food style as per our kind of origin. The Raw Red Ant Eggs can be one kind of natural material for food cooking. Further, this thing cannot find simply and it depends on season. Someone may feel scary and extremely interesting to see it for the first time.
If we are talking about foods and asking Lao city people, Some people may know how to eat a lot of people prefer to eat Khai Mot Daeng (Raw Red Ant Eggs, The name looks strange, but the food provides you more protein than you have eaten meat. Ant Eggs have a lot of menus to cook such as making an Omelette with Ant eggs, raw red Ant Eggs Salad, Soup … etc. and very charming food.
What is Raw Red Ant Eggs?
Raw Red Ant Eggs are very small circles with a white appearance and some may have a little dark. Their size seems caterpillars.
These Raw Red Ant Eggs were produced by Red Ant Mom and their nests on trees, for example, mango tree, longan trees, etc… especially in January, February and March each year. We call “Khai Mot Daeng ໄຂ່ມົດແດງ”
in Lao. Raw Red Ant Eggs or children of red ants. Lao will take them on the top of the trees. Of course, Red Ant Eggs’ Moms will bite you, if you don’t be aware. I think that you shouldn’t climb up and take the Red Ant Eggs by yourself, but you should buy them in the market instead.
Photo Credit: Phouthasone Keomanivong
Today, I will introduce five kinds of Lao menu, which cooked Ant Eggs, also where to buy, where to eat?. Are you ready to know? Let’s read through below, then you will feel fall in love with Lao traditional food.
Fried eggs with raw red ant eggs ທອດໄຂ່ໃສ່ໄຂ່ມົດແດງ
The Fired eggs with raw red ant eggs menu are very easy to cook, you just mix eggs together with salt and other sauce you like. And then you throw all of them to the hot oil after you put garlic. Upside down it to the other side and take it out to the plate. Ingredients:
- Duck’s eggs or hen’s eggs
- Raw Red Ant Eggs
- Salt
- Onion leaves
- Oil
- Garlic
Ant Eggs Soup With Pak Wan ແກງຜັກຫວານ ໃສ່ໄຂ່ມົດແດງ
Pak Wan is a kind of nature vegetable in Laos. If we translate these words into English; “Pak” means vegetable, “Wan” means sweet. Lao prefer to bring it for cooking with soup, especially the “Raw Red Ant Eggs Soup With Pak Wan” menu. The Pak Wan has a sweet crisp taste.
Photo Credit: ຫັນນິ ຊີ່ນລ້ຽນ
Ingredients:
- Raw Red Ant Eggs
- Salt
- Pak Wan
- Water
- Pa Dek ( Pa Dek is fish sauce in Lao style, Lao like to put Pa Dek almost every Lao menu)
- Chili
- Citronella
Fish Soup/Pa Khor Soup with Ant Eggs ແກງປາຄໍ່ໃສ່ໄຂ່ມົດແດງ
This menu is also delicious because we will eat sweet local fish and stir with Ant Eggs.
Photo Credit: Ping Kai Napong Restaurant
Ingredients:
- Fish (Pa Khor; it is a kind of local fish in Laos)
- Ant Eggs
- Small Tomatoes
- Salt
- Water
- Pa Dek
- Galangals
- Citronella
Ant Eggs Soup with mushrooms ແກງເຫັດໃສ່ໄຂ່ມົດແດງ
This menu has many various mushrooms, that will be great and also the Ant Eggs are the heart of this menu.
Photo Credit: ໝໍ້ຫນຶ້ງເຂົ້າຫນຽວໄຟຟ້າ KP electronic
Ingredients:
- Raw Red Ant Eggs
- Mushrooms
- Salt
- Ya Nange ( a kind of vegetable with green color and )
- Water
- Pa Dek
- Chili (If you can eat spicy, if not. Then, you should avoid to put chili on soup)
- Citronella
- Onion
- Sticky Rice (Sticky Rice after it was on the water about 30-60 minutes or Khao Beau ເຂົ້າເບືອ in Lao)
I found a video on Facebook how to make this menu. If you want to learn Lao food recipes, so this next link will be one recipe. let’s have a look this link
Video Credit: plaocooking
Raw Red Ant Eggs Salad /Khai Mot Daeng ກ້ອຍໄຂ່ມົດແດງ
So, we are going to make Raw Red Ant Eggs Salad.Raw Red Ant Eggs Salad in Lao word (Goi Kai Mod ກ້ອຍໄຂ່ມົດແດງ)
Photo Credit: ຮ້ານອາຫານນ້ອງນ້ອຍ Nongnoi Restaurant
Ingredients:
- Fresh red ant eggs (rinsed)
- Salt
- Chili flakes / Fresh Chili
- Toasted rice (Kao Kua)
- Lemon juice
- Fermented fish/ Sauce fish
- Coriander leaves, shallots, Culantro, Mint
- Add ingredients, mix well and enjoy! Your food
Where to eat many menus of Ant Eggs in a restaurant, Laos?
There are some Lao restaurants and those sell cooked menu related to Ant Eggs. I will give you a restaurant name and some information. If you are in Lao, you can go to eat any restaurant nearby as per your convenience. Please find below detail:
Restaurant Name: Nongnoi Restaurant
Hours: 9:00 – 23:30
Address: Phontong Chommany, Chanthabouly district, Vientiane Capital
Contact Number: +856 2055554341; +856 2022225835
Facebook Link: ຮ້ານອາຫານນ້ອງນ້ອຍ/Nongnoi Restaurant
Map Location: Nongnoi Restaurant Map Link
Restaurant Name: Ping Kai Napong Restaurant ຮ້ານອາຫານ ປີ້ງໄກ່ນາປົ່ງ
Hours: 8:00 – 22:00
Address: Phonthan village, Saysetha district, Veintiane Capital
Contact Number: +856 21 264 226; +856 20 2055552424
Facebook Link:ປີ້ງໄກ່ນາປົ່ງ Napong Restaurant
Map Location: Ping Kai Napong Restaurant
Photo Credit:
Restaurant Name: Keklor Restaurant
Hours: 11:00 – 23:30
Address: Rd 13Km North, Ban Namthoum, Nambak Dist, LPB, LAOS
Contact Number: +856 30 28-333-10; +856 20 9789-3629
Facebook Link: Keklor-ຮ້ານເບຍເກັ໋ກຫລໍ່
Map Location: N/A
How does it taste? Who can eat it? Where to buy Raw Red Ant Eggs?
If you want to cook it for yourself, I will tell you the market name. Where will you buy the Raw Red Ant Eggs? If you are in Vientiane capital, Laos. Then, you can buy these products in any local fresh market in Laos for example Kuadin market, Phontong Savang market (nearby the Mittaphab or the 150 hospitals), Dongdok market, Thongkhankham market, Laos -Aussie market, etc. Please don’t forget to notice that it should between January, February or March as I mentioned above.
Photo Credit: PEXEL, Hugo Heimendinger
Everyone can eat the 5 menus, you can select one of the menus that you like. You should try any dish of ant eggs a time once in your life.
It’s better to eat cooked Red Ant Eggs very well before you will eat them. Because of the prevention of bacteria and viruses as well.
About my personality, I like to eat cooked Red Ant Eggs as two menus first it is cooked Red Ant Eggs soup with fish; the second one, is Omelette with Ant eggs. Actually, I don’t like to raw or uncooked well food. So, I don’t like to eat Raw Red Ant Eggs Salad. I prefer and would love to eat cooked food instead.
Ant Eggs has a sweet and soft taste. Someone cannot eat spicy foods, then you don’t put chili on these menus.
Ant Eggs link to Lao Song.
These Ant Eggs and their menu concerned to Lao lifestyle, customs as well. So there is a song called “Yae Khai Mod Deng ແຍ່ໄຂ່ມົດແດງ”. you can see and listen to trough this video link. This song sing in Lao and someone may not understand. However, I truly recommended you just see the video and you will have fun and enjoyable lol. Finally, you will understand Lao food happily.
Thank you, singer: Bounoum LOOKMAENAMKHONG (ບຸນອູ້ມ ລູກແມ່ນໍ້າຂອງ). I like this song very much.
Thank info: Facebook