2020-03-01 Woolworths Taste

butmyeffortsarea bitliketryingto slice

steakusinga butterknife.EventuallyI

masterthesweepingmotionwitha swift

twistof mywrist.It’shotworkthatus

citydwellersaren’taccustomedto andI’m

gratefulfortherefreshingicedteamade

withmintfromthefarm that’s on hand to

quenchourthirst.

Astheafternoonprogresses,wedehusk

thegrainsusinga foot-poweredpestleand

mortarandgrindit intoflourin a quern

stone.Laut’sfamilymembersshowus

howto kneadthericeflourdough,butas

timeis limited,hebringsouta fermented

doughballwrappedin bananaleavesthat’s

steamedin a bamboobasket.Spoonfuls

of thedoughareplacedintoa handheld

noodlepressandlongstringsof noodles

aresqueezedintothe boiling pot in

circularmotions.

Minutes later, we’re sitting cross-

perchorcatfish,they’lleatfishlarbfor

dinnertonight.Mytravelshavetaught

methatLaos’snationaldishis versatile.

Salty,sourandspicy,larbcanbemade

usinganygroundmeat,dependingon

what’savailable,alongwithlotsof mint,

corianderanda generoussqueeze of lime.

It’scompletelyaddictive.

WeleaveKhyoayato hisquietfishing

time,becauseLauthasmoreworklined

up.Westandcalf-deepin thepaddiesand

plantseedlingsin holeswe’vemadewith

ourthumbs.I usea sickleto attemptto cut

handfuls of golden, drooping rice stalks,

TASTE MARCH 2020 105

TRAVEL

LAOSNEED-TO-KNOW

S AY:la z(like“blouse”)

HOWTOGETTHERE:I flewto

BangkokwithEthiopianAirlinesvia

AddisAbaba.Fromthere,Bangkok

AirwaysfliestotheLaotiancapital

ofVientiane.

GETTINGAROUND:A daily

busnetworkoperatesfrom

Vientianetoallmajorprovincial

capitals.Localbusesand

songthaews(bakkieswithsheltered

seatingintheback)willtakeyou

toremoteareas.Travellingbyair,

trainandboatis alsopossible.

MONEYMATTERS:Laosis one

ofthecheaperSoutheastAsian

destinations.R1= 615Kip.Prices

arenegotiable,especiallyduring

thelowseason(MarchtoMay)when

it is hottestandtravellersarefewer.

VISA:SouthAfricans

receivea 30-dayvisaonarrival

atinternationalborder

checkpointsforUS$30.

FOODIEGIFTS:Stickyriceis

servedinathipkhaoacrossAsia.

Thisbamboowovenbasketwitha

lidkeepsthericewarmandinsects

away.Mekongseaweedsheets

sprinkledwithsesameseedsadd

flavourtosaladsandstewsandare

a low-caloriesnack.Bringhomea

fewvacuum-sealedtamarindpods

tomakeyourowntamarindsauce.

HEALTHPRECAUTIONS:

Thereis a riskofmalariaand

denguefeverthroughoutthe

yearandcountry.

VISIT:CaptainHookCoffee

Plantation& Homestay

(captainhookcoffee.com)andLee

7 Farm(lee-7-farm.business.site).

“Salty,sourand

spicy,larbcanbe

madeusingany

ground meat”

Findthisrecipeforchicken

larb with lettuce at taste.co.za

FOOD PHOTOGRAPH

SADIQAH ASSUR-ISMAIL

PRODUCTION

HANNAH LEWRY