Home > Thai food recipes by their origin > Northeastern Cuisine (Issan)
Laap of duck (ลาบเป็ด ; laap bpet)
Laap of duck (ลาบเป็ด ; laap bpet)
Duck laap, like other laap dishes, uses the whole duck, head to tail – including its meat, skin, internal organs, and bones. The recipe I provide below is modified for home-style cooking and uses duck parts; in the village environment, the duck is butchered and the bird is allowed to bleed completely, the blood is collected, and the bird is then cleaned and plucked.
Laap with Cow or Pig Blood, Another Method (ลาบเลือดโคหรือสุกร อีกวิธี ๑; laap leuuat kho:h reuu soo gaawn eek wi thee neung)
Laap with Cow or Pig Blood, Another Method (ลาบเลือดโคหรือสุกร อีกวิธี ๑; laap leuuat kho:h reuu soo gaawn eek wi thee neung)
Laap leuuat, cow or pig blood Laap with dry-roasted chili paste and reduced pla ra, served raw or cooked. Tamra Khraawp Lo:hk, 1929.
Snakehead Fish Nam Tok Recipe ; Spicy Issan Style Deep Fried Snakehead Fish Dressed with Fresh Herbs
(naam dtohk bplaa chaawn)
สูตรทำน้ำตกปลาช่อน
Here is a wonderful spicy Nam Tok recipe; you may as well go for it! A crispy fried fish dressed with plenty of fresh herbs, plenty of chilies than some lime juice and fragrant ground roasted rice as a textural binder. It is an unpretentious dish, that is just about what is around and what is available; there is some sort of truth about it, which makes it so wonderful. If you are trying your first Issan style recipe, than this is the one to go for. It is not complicated to prepare and will show off beautifully the hearty and rustic flavors of Issan.
Spicy Som Tam Recipe of Gelatinous White Corn
(sohm dtam thai khaao phoht ; ส้มตำไทยข้าวโพด)
Bangkok's markets are busy from dawn until dusk, sometime even stay open when most of the city is asleep. Normally, the traffic of shoppers and crowds of office workers hurrying their way masks the busy stretch of shops and food stalls, making it difficult to pay close attention to details. Earlier this year, however, a strange silence had fallen on the city, civil unrest brought life in the city of angels to an eerie standstill, Bangkokians elected to stay home, and shops closed their doors.
The laap Binder
The Laap Binder
Raw wet fish laap with grilled eggplant (ลาบปลาน้ำนัว ; laap bplaa naam nuaa)
Raw wet fish laap with grilled eggplant (ลาบปลาน้ำนัว ; laap bplaa naam nuaa)
In rural Issan, temples are used as schools, with senior monks providing basic spiritual and secular education to youths. Each dawn, the teenage novice monks, attired in orange robes, walk the village streets with their alms bowls to collect food. Their mothers wake up early, often before sunrise, to prepare food for the monks; a meritorious ritual that weaves together spiritual and maternal care.
Laap of Catfish, Chicken, or Beef (ลาบปลาดุกหรือไก่หรือเนื้อวัว; laap bplaa dook reuu gai reuu neuua wuaa)
Laap of Catfish, Chicken, or Beef (ลาบปลาดุกหรือไก่หรือเนื้อวัว; laap bplaa dook reuu gai reuu neuua wuaa)
Laap bplaa dook, minced catfish, chicken, or beef with fire-roasted aromatics, hot pla ra, and toasted rice powder. Tamra Khraawp Lo:hk, 1929.
The Earliest Printed Recipe for Papaya Som Tum (ส้มตำมะละกอ; sohm dtam ma la gaaw)
Sohm dtam ma la gaaw, the first printed Siamese recipe for som tum — a Central Thai papaya salad with dried shrimp. Tamra Khraawp Lo:hk, 1929.
Yam Naem Khao Thot Recipe
Spicy Salad of Curried Rice Croquettes, Fermented Pork, Ginger and Peanuts
(yam naaem khaao thaawt)
สูตรทำยำแหนมข้าวทอด
The dish was introduced to me by a street vendor in forsaken part of town some twenty years ago. Auntie Yai was a true character. She was wearing intensive makeup and I still remember her talkative hilarious manner. I and other customers waiting in line were regularly subjected to nonstop "interrogations" or "interviews". I must admit I enjoyed the peek into other people lives while waiting over an hour for her mouth watering curried rice croquettes. I loved how the pungent, vibrant swirl of ginger was setting off the fermented pork sourness just perfectly, how the nutty crunch of those peanuts was balanced by the vivid tone of fresh herbs.
Rustic & Spicy Laotian Fish Soup with Grilled Eggplants, Oyster Mushrooms and Herbs (ต้มแจ่วปลา ; dtom jeaw pla)
Dtom Jeaw Pla is a rustic and spicy fish soup that is far from being unsophisticated. There is something humble, genuine, and unpretentious about it, which makes you fall in love with it. Its humble countryside charm and surfeit of tastes quickly placed it high on my personal list of favorite dishes. The fresh essence of fish cooked to perfection melds with the earthy tones of the grilled ingredients, the eggplants, shallots, chilies and garlic. It has a heavenly silky broth with a scent of lemongrass, which is generously lifted up by a handful of fresh herbs, lemon basil, saw coriander and spring onions.
35 Medicinal plants to serve with laap
35 Medicinal plants to serve with laap, and why! – phak gap laap (ผักกับลาบ)
Gooey raw shrimp laap (ลาบเหนียวกุ้ง ; laap niaao goong)
Gooey raw shrimp laap (ลาบเหนียวกุ้ง ; laap niaao goong)
This shrimp laap is often served raw but it can be further cooked by roasting or cooking with some liquids, as well as grilling the fish mixture in a banana leaf wrap.
cooking with blood
Cooking with blood - How to prepare fresh blood วิธีเตรียมเลือดสดสำหรับการทำอาหาร
While the general assumption is that cooking with blood is associated with regional and rustic cuisine, in fact, animal blood was part of the aristocracy’s diet as well
koi pla recipe
Luang Prabang Style Koi Fish Salad Recipe (Koi Pla)
(gaawy bplaa nin luang prabang ; สูตรทำก้อยปลานิลหลวงพระบาง)
A marvelous Luang Prabang style fish salad recipe (Koi Pla), which is very easy to prepare and even though it looks simple, its flavors are complex and clever. Fresh fish fillet is sliced into thin strips which are quick blanched in lemongrass infused boiling water - a cooking method that presenting it’s natural flavors with an uplifting citrusy notes. The white fish slices are then mixed with, deep golden brown caramelized mix of fried garlic, shallots and lemongrass, which are not just visually pleasing but also add a unique sweetness and richness to the dish.
Fermented Thai Pork Sausage Recipe
Making Fermented Thai Pork Sausage (แหนมหมู ; naem moo)
Naem is a fermented sausage made with pork, pork skins, cooked sticky rice (glutinous), fresh garlic, salt, sugar and bird’s eye chilies. The sausage is wrapped in banana leaves or synthetic casings, and fermented for 3-5 days at about 30 degrees (C) and 50% humidity. The fermentation process enables the growth of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, mostly lactobacilli, which accounts for the sourness of the sausage. The salt acts as an inhibitor - preventing the meat from going rotten, allowing the lactic acid bacteria and yeasts to feed on the rice and sugar, and fermenting the meat to perfection.
Braised Chicken in Thai Aromatic Paste (ไก่ใต้น้ำ gai dtai naam)
Braised Chicken in Thai Aromatic Paste (ไก่ใต้น้ำ ; gai dtai naam)
Gai dtai naam, which means “under water chicken” in Thai, consists of braised chicken in a coarse, aromatic paste made from lemongrass, galangal, garlic, chilies, kaffir lime leaves, holy basil, coriander and spring onions. In the home-cooked dish popular among the Thai working class, the entire chicken - including the bones - is chopped into bite-size pieces, and served with a bottle of rice wine accompanied by local country-style music (luktung) at high volume.
how to grill catfish
How to grill a catfish (วิธีย่างปลาดุก)
Catfish are not too fussy about the waters in which they swim. They can even flourish in stagnant waters and flooded rice fields. Thus, they have a slimy, scaleless skin and oily meat with a muddy after taste. They are most suitable for grilling, deep-frying or in curries.
Issan-style grilled catfish laap (ลาบปลาดุกย่าง ; laap bplaa dook yaang)
Issan-style grilled catfish laap (ลาบปลาดุกย่าง ; laap bplaa dook yaang)
Koi Pla Recipe
Fish Koi Recipe (Koi Pla)
Vientiane Style Fish and Herbs Salad
(gaawy bplaa nin vientiane ; ก้อยปลานิลเวียงจันทน์)
In 1833 Prince Mongkut, who later became King Rama IV, found a square stone inscription, known today as “The Ramkhamheang’s Inscription”, believed to be written 541 years earlier, in 1292, by King Ramkhamheang - the third king of The Sukhothai Dynasty (1279-1298). In this inscription King Ramkhamheang tells the story of the Sukhothai regime; He includes details of the systems of law and describes how he ruled the people wisely, in a kind and personal, like father and son manner. King Ramkhamheang – (who was an outstanding warrior, statesman, scholar and diplomat who expanded his control from the Khmer kingdom of Angkor in the east, through much of what is today central and southern Thailand, to northern parts of Laos and Burma) – gives a picture of his kingdom as idyllic and free of constrains.

Have a look at some of our favorite courses.

Aromatic Primer for Thai Cuisine - Part 1
Patterns – Decoding the Complexity of Siamese Curry Paste: A Multidimensional Exploration

Get Access – Join Thaifoodmaster Today

Practical and kitchen-tested recipes with a mix of theory, history, psychology, and Siamese culture tidbits.

  • Get access to everything right away. Unlock more than 50 Masterclasses, over 700 recipes and Articles

    Access to Thaifoodmaster’s constantly growing library of prime professional classes, articles, recipes and videos on Siamese culinary topics, available nowhere else in English.

  • GET EXTRA - New Masterclasses and Daily Recipes

    Gain access to NEW masterclasses as they become available. Access DAILY translations of heritage-recipes.

  • 1-1 support from Hanuman

    1-1 support from Hanuman to help you achieve your professional Thai culinary goals

  • Live Q&A Sessions

    The opportunity to join a monthly live two-hour videoconference where I can answer your questions.

  • Great Value!

    one year access for the price of 3 days in-person training.

You will get everything you need to:

  • To Get inspired

    When you design or build a new menu for an event or restaurant or even prepare for dinner with friends.

  • To Satisfy your curiosity.

    Finally !

  • To Master Your Craft

    Master your Thai cooking skills and expand your repertoire.

It is truly brilliant with a revolutionary approach introducing aspects and concepts never broached by cookbooks.
Ian Westcott
Ian Westcott
Sourcing Wines for Discerning Private Clients
Click to Read More Reviews
© 2008 – 2026 Thaifoodmaster