Visitez Luang Prabang, et le reste du Laos

Coffee (organic & fair trade)

Benolaos — 2012-07-10T06:18:56Z

While all the Lao coffee is produced in the south (in Bolaven Plateau), Saffron developed a local production in northern Laos, specially in the Luang Prabang province

The story of Saffron Coffee begins with a group of tribes living high in the mountains of northern Laos. Unable to plant and harvest rice in the lowland paddies like the majority Lao, these tribes cultivated opium poppy on the mountain slopes and plateaus.

In 2004 David Dale, and American living in Laos, researched the possibility of planting arabica coffee in northern Laos. So David explored highland areas (coffee grows at 800m high and more, but not less), around Luang Prabang, and found the land to be promising and the interest high among the hill-tribes. As a result, Saffron Coffee was born.

Partnering with local Hmong anf Khmu workers, Saffron coffee created a coffee nursery, planting numerous varieties of arabica coffee seeds (more than 20 different species of seeds are used). When these seeds germinated the seedlings were transplanted into over 300.000 plastic bags. After the coffee trees are of sufficient size, Saffron Coffee makes arrangements to give them to mountain villagers who have land appropriate for planting coffee. Saffron Coffee agrees to purchase all their coffee when it comes time to harvest.

As the red-ripe "cherries" are harvested by hand, Saffron Coffee purchases the coffee from the farmers, wet-processes it into quality green coffee, and roasts it fresh in Luang Prabang. Coffee is becoming the first sustainable cash crop for many upland farmers since opium.

If Laos is famous for its coffee production in south (in the Bolaven plateau where mostly grow robusta), Saffron Coffee introduced a 100% arabica local production in north, already acclaimed by coffee cupper :

"Saffron Coffee has a deep sweet-toned aroma with notes of cedar and dark chocolate. Rich body. Light syrupy texture. Gentle acidity. Rich flavour with notes of dark chocolate and hints of molasses".

Saffron Coffee proposes 4 quality beans :

Saffron Peaberry, the top of the line. Selection of cherry that has only one bean. This is a favourite of lighter-roasted coffee connoisseurs brewed with a French Press.
Saffron Premium, with a full flavoured and taste especially delicious when roasted dark and brewed as an expresso.
Saffron Prime, made from standard beans with the nicest aroma-strong notes of chocolate when freshly roasted.
Saffron select, made from smaller beans from the coffee harvest.

You can taste it in the 2 coffee shops in town, and also visit the factory where coffee is roasted (5 kilometres out of the city). Saffron Coffee has grown there coffee trees to show of the plants, the cherry, and the way they must be take care of.

View online : Saffron Coffee

Mok Pa For

Benolaos — 2012-06-20T13:58:30Z

Speciality of Luang Prabang that is particularly appreciated by tourists being as its not spicy and only uses fish, vegetables and herbs. There are 2 forms of presentation : either individual (as shown on the left) or in larger ‘packets' (then, the whole banana leaf is used, which is the most usual way of doing it).

Preparation Time : 30 à 40 minutes
Cooking Time : 40 minutes

Ingredients (for 4 people)

1 kg of firm fleshed fish filets
4-5 banana leaves
4 eggs
Salt
Pepper
1 glass of coconut milk
1 soup spoon of fresh, chopped coriander
4 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
2 limes
2 pieces of citronella
11-12 leaves of kaffir lime

Preparation

Blanch the banana leaves in boiling water to soften them.
Cut the fish into small pieces of 2-3 cm.
Beat the eggs and add the coconut milk.
Chop the citronella finely, as well as the shallots, garlic and coriander.
Add this mixture to the fish, egg and coconut milk mixture.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the banana leaves into large pieces, make small parcels, with 3 soup spoons of the above mixture.
Vapour cook for about 40 min.
Serve with lime (add a little on the hot food)

Laotian Sausage

Benolaos — 2012-06-20T13:52:59Z

Laotian Sausage (shown here in pork, but it also exists in spicy beef) is one of the most eaten specialities in Luang Prabang. Marriages, religious ceremonies, and other festivities normaly have a meal and include this sort of sausage, which is very much appreciated by Laotians and even tourists who have more delicate taste buds.

Preparation Time : 30 minutes + 24 heures
Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients (for 5 people)

175 g minced pork
40 g cooked rice
2 soup spoons of lime juice
1 coffee spoon of chopped garlic
1 coffee spoon of ground white, or black, pepper
1/2 a coffee spoon of salt
1/2 a coffee spoon of chopped lemongrass (citronella)
50 cm of rinced sausage skin casings rubbed with salt
900 ml of peanut or maize oil for frying

Preparation

Mix well together, the minced pork, garlic, pepper, salt, sugar and lemongrass.
Fill the casings, shape them into balls and tie with string.
Leave to dry for at least 24 hours.
Heat the oil on a high heat in a frying pan and fry the sausages on both sides for 15 minutes, until
they are golden and well cooked.

Normally, this sausage is served with fresh slices of ginger and small pimentos and sticky rice.

Tchéo Bong

Benolaos — 2012-06-20T13:36:12Z

Tchéo Bong is one of the most used "creamy sauces" in Luang Prabang. A typical speciality of the province, you will hardly ever find any, apart from in the old royal town. The Laos coming from other provinces, often take advantage of a stay in Luang Prabang to make large purchases of this rather spicy and very tasty composition.

Ingredients

1 kg of dried pimento, emptied of their grains
4 kg of crushed garlic
30 g of chopped mild ginger
3 kg of sugar
1 bottle of brine
20 g of honey
20 g of ground dried shrimp
2 kg de beef rind

Preparation

Cut the beef rind into thin slices, soak them in salty water and drain them. Then put the pieces of beef in an earthenware pot of water on a medium heat until the meat tenderizes.
Roast the ground pimento in a saucepan with a smear of oil. Mix with the sugar, then the ginger.
Put the roasted ingredients in a mortar and pound them. At the same time add the brine and the garlic. Crush until everything is well mixed. Then, add the pieces of beef and the dried shrimps and continue to mix.
Pour the honey over it and transfer everything to a serving dish.

This dish is normally served with rice, vegetables, grilled fish, dried meat, but also goes very well with dried alga from the Mekong (see picture).

Tchéo Bong can be cooked in two ways, sweet or spicy, according to what it is served with.

It is often prepared in huge quantities, because this ‘preserve' keeps very well and is often better after having been kept for a certain period of time.

Green papaya salad

Benolaos — 2012-06-20T13:30:59Z

This is THE Lao-Thai dish. Those with a tough palate, will really enjoy it : the dose of pimento which is normally used, is in the region of 20 pimentos per person. For security reasons, we have divided the doses by 20 so as not to assault our compatriots, who are not as accustomed to "Lao mildness".

Preparation Time : 30 minutes
Cooking Time : 0 minute

Ingredients (for 5 people)

400 g of green papaya
4 small ripe tomatoes
5 red or green pimentos
3 small, round eggplants
5 cloves of garlic
5 soup spoons of Paderk (or fish brine)
1 coffee spoon of salt
2 soup spoons of sugar
2 soup spoons of glutamate
Juice of 2 limes

Preparation

Peel the papayas.
Wash them with slightly salty water and grate them so as to obtain small slivers. Cut the eggplants and the tomatoes into small pieces or in rings.
Pound the pimentos and the cloves of garlic in a mortar. Add a coffee spoon of salt, then the grated papaya, eggplants and tomatoes, limejuice, Paderk (or brine), glutamate and sugar.
Mix everything together for a good three minutes, so that all the ingredients are blended.

Papaya salad can be served with different vegetables. Normally its presented with green salad, cabbage, bindweed, grilled vermicelli. Its usually eaten with sticky rice. Careful, this salad is very often spicy, very spicy !

It can also be served with dried meat (the excellent Sinsavan, otherwise called "paradise meat"), or even Kiep-Mou (roasted pork rind).

Alternative Recipe 1
Alternative Recipe 2

Ô-Lam

Benolaos — 2012-06-20T09:34:18Z

Ô-Lam is certainly one of the most often prepared and the most traditional dishes of Luang Prabang, probably along with Tièo Bong and the Papaya Salad. It is recommended to prepare it a long time in advance and to let it rest before eating it.

Preparation : 30 minutes
Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Ingredients (for 6 people)

1/2 kg of beef
10 round eggplants
10 green beans
1 kg small round eggplants
1/2 a small bowl of Paderk (fish brine)
3 citronella
3 onions
3 cloves of garlic
1 kg of crisp rind of roasted pork
a small bowl of dill leaves
5 onion shoots
a small bowl of tamarind leaves
10 green peppers
1 coffee spoon of salt
1 coffee spoon of glutamate
1 soup spoon of fish brine
1 kg beef rind
5 pieces of Sakhane (Piper ribesioides)
1 bowl of grilled sticky rice
1 kg of black mushrooms

Preparation

Cut the meat in average sized pieces and grill them by turning them regularly, so that they are evenly golden.
Grill the citronella, garlic, onions and sticky rice together, after having pounded the citronella and crushed the garlic and onion in a mortar.
Cut the beef rind in small pieces. Leave them to soak in water for 5 minutes.
Cut the pork crackling, black mushrooms and green peppers in small pieces and chop the green beans.
Boil 2 litres of water and plunge the meat and the beef rind in it. Leave it to simmer for about 20 minutes. Then add the Sakhane, Paderk, citronella and the rest.
Add salt, glutamate, grilled rice and all the vegetables. Finally, chop the young green onions. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

If you want, you can substitute the beef by chicken.
The preparation of this dish takes a certain time.