Larb salad

For the literary magazine, see Los Angeles Review of Books. François Aymonier, who visited Laos in 1883, described larb as a favorite dish of Lao larb salad – a mixture of chopped onions or scallions, lemongrass leaves, fermented fish and chili mixed with fresh and boiled fish. The dish was eaten with steam-cooked sticky rice. Prior to the collapse of the monarchy, in Laotian high society, servants were never allowed to prepare the best and most delicate dishes.

The women of Laotian high society considered it an honorable task and great opportunity to display their culinary talents to prepare larb for their esteemed guests. Lao and Thai word meaning ‘waterfall’. The name is derived either from the dripping of the meat juices during the grilling or from the juices running out of the medium rare beef as it is sliced. In Luang Prabang and northern Laos this method of preparation is referred to as saa, whereas in Vientiane and southern Laos it is known as goi. The recipes for the royal yum gai tom is found in Phia Sing’s writing. Yum gai tom or sua gai is prepared by boiling a whole chicken with lemongrass, ginger, and kefir lime leaves. Once the chicken is cooked, the meat is removed from the carcass and chopped or shredded.