Home > Thai food recipes > Laap, Luu, Saa, Koy, Nam Dtohk
Northern Thai-style fish laap with crispy aromatics (ลาบหมี่ปลา; laap mee plaa)
Northern Thai-style fish laap with crispy aromatics (ลาบหมี่ปลา; laap mee plaa)
How to prepare Makwen-infused fish sauce (มะแขว่นดองน้ำปลา)
How to prepare makwen-infused fish sauce (มะแขว่นดองน้ำปลา)
A fish sauce infused with palate-numbing makwen is great for seasoning those dishes that draw their seasoning from phrik laap.
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.
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.
The laap Binder
The Laap Binder
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 Beef or Pork Blood (ลาบเลือดโคหรือสุกร; laap leuuat kho reu sukon)
Laap with Beef or Pork Blood (ลาบเลือดโคหรือสุกร; laap leuuat kho reu sukon)
Laap leuuat, beef or pork blood laap with toasted rice powder and pla ra, served raw or wok-cooked. From Tamra Khraawp Lo:hk, 1929.
Issan-style grilled catfish laap (ลาบปลาดุกย่าง ; laap bplaa dook yaang)
Issan-style grilled catfish laap (ลาบปลาดุกย่าง ; laap bplaa dook yaang)
35 Medicinal plants to serve with laap
35 Medicinal plants to serve with laap, and why! – phak gap laap (ผักกับลาบ)
yam jin gai
Yam Jin Gai: A Symbol of Tradition and Family Unity (ยำจิ๊นไก่; yam jin gai)
In the mountainous region of Northern Thailand, the people share a profound connection with the spirits inhabiting the land, trees and rivers. This bond extends to ancestral spirits residing within their homes, providing protection and guidance to the family. It is believed that food is not only shared among the living but also with those who preceded us, bridging the gap between the natural world and the ethereal realm of the spirits. It is in this context that yam jin gai (ยำจิ้นไก่) holds a special significance. Once a delicacy served only on special occasions, this soup-like salad has come to symbolize the enduring bond between the people of Northern Thailand and their ancestral spirits. Families pay homage to their ancestors with offerings of food, fostering a sense of unity and connection that transcends mortality and even the present; although the dish is included on the menus of many restaurants, its roots remain grounded in the spiritual landscape of the northern forests.
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.
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.
laap seasoning mix
Northern laap seasoning mix (น้ำพริกลาบ ; naam phrik laap)
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.
laap-aka
Saa Bpia - Akha-style grilled pork laap in banana leaves (ส่าเปี๊ยะ ลาบอย่างชาวอาข่า)
Saa Bpia -Akha-style grilled pork laap in banana leaves (ส่าเปี๊ยะ ลาบอย่างชาวอาข่า)
Northern Thai-style roasted pork laap (ลาบหมูคั่ว ; laap muu khuaa)
Northern Thai-style roasted pork laap (ลาบหมูคั่ว ; laap muu khuaa)
This laap dish offers a slightly different way to use the phrik laap seasoning mix. It is added to an aromatic paste made from roasted chilies, galangal, roasted shallots, and roasted garlic. The paste is enriched with coriander seeds, makwen and laap spices mix, which introduces the desired smoke and umami intensifying elements to the dish.
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.
Northern Thai-style bitter buffalo laap (ลาบจิ้นควายขม; laap jin khwaai khohm)
Northern Thai-style bitter buffalo laap (ลาบจิ้นควายขม; laap jin khwaai khohm)
Bitter buffalo laap with bile, cow’s gastric juice, and fresh blood. Buffalo meat is lean and often described as sweet.
Northern Thai-style laap of chicken (ลาบไก่เมือง ; laap gai muang)
Northern Thai-style laap of chicken (ลาบไก่เมือง ; laap gai muang)
In the village environment, free-range chicken laap is made from a whole bird butchered and cooked on the spot. All the parts of the chicken are used, with nothing wasted or discarded. First, the meat is minced. Gradually, the still-warm chicken blood is added until the meat is saturated and becomes gooey and moist.
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.
Lanna-style grilled catfish laap (ลาบปลาดุก พื้นบ้านล้านนา ; laap bplaa dook lanna)
Lanna-style grilled catfish laap (ลาบปลาดุก พื้นบ้านล้านนา ; laap bplaa dook lanna)
A Tai Lue style grilled catfish laap which is somewhat more complicated than the Issan version of grilled catfish laap.

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