Luang Prabang · Laos
Lao Or Lam
A herb-rich Luang Prabang stew of meat, eggplant, mushrooms and aromatics, thickened gently with sticky rice.
About this dish
Or lam is strongly associated with Luang Prabang. Traditional versions can include sakhaan, a peppery woody vine that is difficult to source outside Laos. This adaptation keeps the stew’s herbaceous character and sticky-rice thickening while treating sakhaan as optional rather than replacing it with an unrelated spice.
Ingredients & method
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb beef chuck or boneless chicken thigh, cut in chunks
- 5 cups water or unsalted stock
- 2 stalks lemongrass, smashed and cut in pieces
- 1-inch piece galangal, sliced
- 2 shallots, halved
- 1–2 bird chiles, optional
- 1/3 cup cooked sticky rice, mashed with a little broth
- 2 cups small eggplant pieces
- 2 cups oyster or wood-ear mushrooms
- 1 tbsp fish sauce or padaek, to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped dill
- 1/2 cup Lao or Thai basil leaves
- 2 scallions, sliced
- Sakhaan, if authentically sourced, optional
Method
- 1. Simmer meat with stock, lemongrass, galangal, shallots and chiles until nearly tender, 45–75 minutes depending on the meat.
- 2. Stir the mashed sticky rice with a cup of hot broth until loose, then return it to the pot to thicken the stew gently.
- 3. Add eggplant, mushrooms and sakhaan if using. Simmer until vegetables are tender.
- 4. Season with fish sauce or padaek. Remove large lemongrass and galangal pieces if desired.
- 5. Turn off the heat and fold in dill, basil and scallions so the herbs remain vivid.
Read further
Fringe Table recipes are practical home-kitchen adaptations. Family, regional and ceremonial versions may differ.