Credit Photo: Lab T2 Restaurant
A National Lao Food is Yummy Lao Beef Salad
Hello! What is your favorite dish in your local food? Let’s share with me your one of preference menu to below comment box and welcome any comment. Today, I am going to present one of my belove menus and it is also the most popular of local food in Laos. Many Lao like to eat this menu, Can you guess what it is? Yes, it is Laab Seen Ngaw (Lao Beef Salad or spicy minced Laab ). My mother likes this menu and me too. It is so yummy and tasty! Of course, I like to eat cooked Lao Beef Salad, but not a raw one! I may apology if you are vegetarian. Because you will not like to eat it. I don’t have any intention to make you feel unhappy. I just have a purpose to show you the different food styles in my country only. Please keep following up www.vsitlaos.com. Lao people can eat vegetable salad or Shoup Phak, (ຊຸບຜັກ) next Menu I will explain more about the vegetable.
I was born in Laos and live here for over 30 years. Moreover, because I am Lao. I am familiar with Lao Beef salad and know this menu very well; I also know how to cook it fairly well. Surely, the Lao beef salad is sometimes concerned with my daily lifestyle. I often eat this menu with my family and my friends. So, I sometimes bought the cooked beef salad from a restaurant where I passed by there. Last few days, I cooked Laab with my mom for example we cooked duck salad for our dinner at home. I would love to recommend to you when you have free time, you should try to cook the Laab by yourself. You can turn any meat that you like into Laab. I will not focus on many details, but I will give you overall information for your knowledge only. Then, I will explain a bit of detail on how to cook it. In addition, I will give you a link to one of a woman on YouTube for your information. First, I will tell you the word “Laab” meaning and so on. Let’s get started!
What does a Lao word “Laab or Larb” mean? And what is Laab?
Laab is a Lao word. I would like to explain to you some information Background of a word like Laab in the Lao language.
Meat salad or Laab is the national dish of Laos. The meaning of the “Laab” word, means “Lucky” in the Lao language; Lao typing word of Laab is “ລາບ”; When the Lao people have a ceremony, party, event, or celebrate something the special menu that they will include the Laab for guests’ eating. For example, on the occasion of Lao New Year, National New Year day, every house will cook Lap for good luck with their family and their friends who came to visit them.
Another meaning of the word in Lao “Laab” is the chop or the slice meat /fish.
In addition, The most important vegetable for this menu, it is “Hom Laab ”, which it means Mint in English.
While you are eating this menu, you can imagine like you are a lucky person. Lao like the service of any guests by Laab when they visit their houses. Any meat and fish can cook the be Laab. So, it depends on which one you like to eat. Moreover, I would like to suggest you that you should try two type Lao bee salad as below:
- Spicy Minced Beef Laab
- Spicy Minced Duck Laab
Where can you buy “beef or fresh meat” when you are in Laos?
You can buy fresh meat when you are in Laos. Please don’t worry if you would like the eat. It is very easy to buy any kind of meat in several markets, convenient stores nearby your residence. Do you know? What type of meat can Lao cook as Laab? Basically, Lao people prefer the cook as Lap from several types of meat, for example, buffalo meat, beef, pork chicken, duck goose, fish, etc…The appearance of the Laab dish will be the difference as per meat kind.
Where the buy fresh products in Vientiane capital, For example, the Kuadin market ( it is next to the Morning market), Thongkhankham market, Phonsavang market, Phonthong Savang market, Phakhao market, etc…
How to cook this Laab ?
Laab is any kind of food, which cooked by various meat. You can adapt one of your minion meat and start cooking it. Do you like cooking? If you like cooking food by yourself, you can try to cook Laab . So, I would like to teach you and give you how to cook Beef as a Lap quickly, as follows. It quite has the same method on how to cook Laab , but you just select the different meat, the meat that you like, someone may like to eat fish or other. Now, I am going to express how to cook Lao salad by using beef.
The interest ingredient included:
Beef, Salt, chili flake/fresh chili, toasted rice, cooked fermented fish/ sauce fish, mint, coriander leave, green onion leave.
Note: If you don’t like bitty taste, you can use Lemon juice instead of Phia,
Step of cooking:
- The First thing of preparing, we should have the meat and the spare part of cow or buffalo, and Phia (ເພ້ຍ Phia is a special sauce from the cow) (a special sauce produced by the cow, it is bitter) or you use Lemon juice instead as the photo below and then you should slice the beef as thin as you can or chop small as you like.
- The Second, prepare Salt, chili flake/fresh chili, toasted rice, cooked fermented fish/ sauce fish.
- The Third, to prepare mint, coriander leaves, and green onion leave.
- The fourth, put meat that you slice or chop into the bowl, salt, fermented fish or sauce fish and put toasted rice.
- Finally put mint, coriander leaves and green leave, if you love to eat cook on. I recommend you should fry it (someone may take beef on steel and taking them in to hot water/soup for cooked beef; before starting the first step).
However, you can at as raw meat it also can serve it with herb.
Put ingredients together as you like and enjoy your food.
More detail on how to cook this menu, you can visit Cooking with Nana YouTube channel, she will show you more specific on how to cook many Lao foods menu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMZMcrXLri0
Remark: ingredients, mix depends on your taste.
How to eat the original Lao beef salad’s taste? How does “Laab ’s” taste? Who can eat it?
The original Lao beef salad has its own tasty; its flavor are so exclusive; it is delicious but it has a balance of salty, tangy, and spicy.
Lao like to eat Laab with cooked sticky rice, with some vegetables for example lettuce, aubergine, cucumber, green long bean, a local vegetable like Phak Samak (ຜັກສະເມັກ)
If you would like to read more Laab menu, it cooked by fish you can follow this link, which I already published it. It is Laab Pa Tong (Fish Salad) by this link. https://vsitlaos.com/lao-food-cooked-by-local-fish-its-name-pa-tong/
Where to eat Lao Beef Salad or Lao food?
It is very easy and convenient to find a Lao food restaurant when you are in Laos.
Many Lao restaurant serve this Lao beef salad, so you can enjoy eating it. You can find the Lao restaurant nearby your hotel. Let’s try it ! In addition, I will give you more detail about Lao restaurant following.unbrand name
Another choice, you are lazy to have a meal at a restaurant, you can order food by the application. Can you guess what the app name will tell you? Currently, you can order Lao Beef Salad from Food Panda application, other menus as well. They will deliver to you if you are in Vientiane capital, Laos (Some area that their service reaches). I usually like to order food for my lunchtime through this application, because their food rider can drop my order quickly. It will take time about 30 minutes to 45 minutes for pre-order. If you are interested in the Food Panda app, you can download from App Store. Their logo is white and pink with Panda cartoon.
Which is brand new food application related to food industry of Laos, it is very popular recently. I always find food riders, they are riding to deliver food when I am going to work every day.
Moreover, I am happy to share you my life experience about this menu. Last Friday (15-May-2020), I have a good time to have lunch with my colleagues in my current employer. In order to celebrate one of my senior member’s a new car. So, it is happy time to me without any payment. Because, he is a host to pay for lunch meal today. Thank you very much my sponsorJ. Where do we have lunch today? Yes, it is “Laab T2” restaurant, T2 road, Sikhottabong district, Vientiane capital (nearby Cheverolet Laos showroom). I will drop Google map location and brand of photo of the restaurant as well for your information, in case you are interested to have meal on where to eat Lao Beef Salad. Most of Lao food restaurants have this menu on the list.
Lao Beef Salad is such a yummy dish and it is also great time to keep in our relationship each other for employee like me hahaha… we ordered few menu about two to three set, so it is enough for nine people; Those menu’s name are beef Laab , Kang Kheung Nai (beef organs soup), beef barbecue, papaya salad.
I will give you some information about Lao restaurants, those will serve you the Laab menu. If you are easy eating, you can find any unbranded name. I usually eat or buy Laab in a market, small restaurants nearby. because I will pay a cheaper price than brand names.
Lao Food Restaurants Name List in Vientiane Capital, Laos
1) Restaurant Name: Lab T2
Hours: 9:00 – 23:30
Address: Oumong Chommany, Sikhottabong District, Vientiane Capital, Laos (Nearby Chevlorette Show Room)
Contact Number: 030 5014009; 020 2987 9794
Facebook Link: ຮ້ານລາບ-T2; https://www.facebook.com/821102861378338
Map Location:
2) Restaurant Name: Han Laab Sokdy (ຮ້ານລາບໂຊກດີ Coffee&Noodle;)
Hours: 7:00 – 15:30
Address: Khounta Thong (Hom4), Chanthabouly district, Veintiane Capital
Contact Number:
+856 020 55 115 311
Facebook Link: ຮ້ານລາບໂຊກດີ Coffee&Noodle;
Map Location:
3) Restaurant Name: Nongnoi Restaurant
Hours: 9:00 – 23:30
Address: Phontong Chommany, Chanthabouly district, Veintiane Capital
Contact Number: +856 2055554341; +856 2022225835
Facebook Link: ຮ້ານອາຫານນ້ອງນ້ອຍ/Nongnoi Restaurant
Map Location:
4) Restaurant Name: Lao Derm Restaurant
There are 3 branches
Vientiane: 1st floor 450 Years building, Thongkhankham Village,
Chanthabouly District, Tel: +85621 255283
Savannakhet: Riverside of Luanglom road, Thahae Village,
Kaisone Phomvihan District. Tel: +85620 2818834
Luang Prabang: Souphattra hotel, Naviengkham village,
Facebook: LaoDerm Restaurant – ຫ້ອງອາຫານລາວເດີມ
Map Location:
5) Restaurant Name: Han Laab at Amazone Dongchong
Hours: 9:00 – 17:00
Address: Dongchong village, Chanthabouly district, Vientiane Capital
Contact Number: +856 020 22 691 887
Facebook Link: ຮ້ານອາຫານ “ລາບ” (This page name is in Lao. If you would like to search on Facebook you should to copy from what I wrote here)
Map Location:
6) Restaurant Name: Ban Laab Pa Hongkham
Hours: Monday the Saturday, 8:00 – 17:00
Address: Ban Sithan Neua, Sikhottabong district, Vientiane Capital
Contact Number: +856 20 99 989 365; 02077447477
Facebook: Ban Laab Pa Hongkham ບ້ານລາບປ້າຫົງຄຳ (This page name is in Lao. If you would like to search on Facebook you should to copy from what I wrote here)
Map Location
Finally, you have finished through this menu. Thank you very much for your time and your attention reading through this content. So, I wish that you will get Lucky like the name of the menu. Some Lao men prefer the eat raw Laab with Lao alcohol or Beer Lao, so it depends on what their eating style.
Laab mean lucky, you should try the eat once a time when you visit Laos. Please don’t miss this original menu the have on your meal. If you would like the look at the appearance of Laab, you can type Lao word as “ລາບ” on Facebook or Google Search platform, then you will see many photos related to the Laab. This menu may be similar to spicy Thai beef salad.
Once more time, I’m very appreciative if you will leave any below the comment :). Have a nice day!