Food, Drinks and Cooking Class
Food and Drinks
Lao Food
Try Lao food! Lao food is tasty and brings you closer to Lao culture. Sticky rice is the most important part of Lao food and is eaten a lot by Lao people. Some other famous kinds of food are Laap (minced meat, fish or mushrooms with spices and herbs), Khao piak and Foe (rice noodle soup), Ping Gai (barbecued chicken), Tam mak hung (Papaya salad), Ping Pa (barbecued fish) and Mok pa (steamed fish).
The Lao phrase (question) ‘kin khao leo bor? is asked many times by people and a real answer is not so important but it shows the importance of food in local life. Eating is a social affair and eating alone if considered to be ‘less tasty’ by some than eating together. Cooking and eating together is an important part of the Lao culture and brings people closer together and often a lot of fun is involved as well.
Drinks
Many Lao people like drinking Beerlao (the most famous beer in Laos) and you will see signs of Beerlao even in the smallest villages of Laos. Often people drink from one glass and fill it up to drink and pass it to the neighbor to do the same after it’s filled up again. Beer Namkhong, Heineken, Tiger, Beer Lanexang, Klang, Beerlao Dark (a nice dark beer) and some other beer brands are also available in some places. Lao khao (or Lao lao) is Lao rice whiskey and is also popular with many locals. Coffee and tea are not as popular as in some western countries but some Lao people like to drink it. Soft drinks (Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Fanta, Mirinda etc.) are available in Laos as well and don’t leave Laos before trying a delicious fruit shake somewhere overlooking the Mekong river or the beautiful mountains!
Eating Lao food is a good way to stimulate the local economy and many times it’s also better for the envirnoment.
Cooking Class – learn how to cook Lao food
Do you like to learn how to prepare and cook Lao food? Consider a cooking class on the island of Don Som (4,000 Islands). There are two kinds of Cooking Classes:
4000 Islands Classic Cooking Class
Do you want to experience how it is to make Lao food, visit a local market and enjoy the food yourself afterwards? This might be something that makes you happy. Read on if you want.
Information and program
Our ‘4.000 Islands Cooking Class’ starts early in the morning (about 7.00 am) with a guided visit (with English and Lao speaking guidance) to the market of Khinak on the other side of the river. You can ask everything about the market, taste food and learn more about Lao culture. When we return (about 9.00 am) we will have a short (about one hour) break before we start with part 2 of the cooking class at 10.00 am. You get an explanation of the ingredients we’re using and about Lao food in general and after that we will start cooking. We will prepare 5 dishes (Laap, Sticky rice, Green papaya salad, Tomato dipsauce and a Lao style omelet). If you are vegetarian we will prepare 6 dishes together and replace Laap with Fried morning glory and Fried vegetables. Cooking will take about 2 – 2.5 hours and after this we will eat the food together. We finish about 13.00/13.30.
After the cooking class you will get a document (by email in English, Geman, French or Dutch) with the ingredients of the food we’ve prepared.
Included:
– Boat transport from and to the market on the mainland
– Guided tour on the market on the mainland
– Five dishes we prepare during cooking
– Guide speaking both English and Lao
– A free shot of Lao rice whisky
– Free drinking water
– A positive experience you will hopefully not forget soon
Not included:
– Drinks
– Personal expenses
Prices
* 1 person: 255.000 Kip
* 2-4 persons: 195.000 Kip per person
* 5-6 persons: 180.000 Kip per person
Maximum 6 people
More information and bookings
Send us an email if you like to book the Classic Cooking Class or if you want to know more about it: donsomlaos@gmail.com
Do you want more?
We also offer a full day Lao Food Experience if you want to indulge yourself in Lao food even more (see below).
Lao Food Experience
Interested in learning how to cook Lao food and experience this in a day long dive into Lao food? Than this might be something for you…
Lao Food Experience information
Our day filling Lao Food Experience starts early in the morning (about 6.30 am) with a bowl of khao piak or foe and Lao tea or coffee as breakfast at our place. After this a boat will pick us up for a guided visit (with English and Lao speaking guidance) to the market of Ban Khinak on the other side of the river. Here we will show you the market and you can ask everything, taste food and learn more about Lao culture. We will also eat some khao pun (a Lao favorite) at the market together and we will get you a small snack for on the way back.
After this we return to the boat. When we are back (about 10.00 am) we will have a short (one and a half hour) break before we start with part 2 of the Lao Food Experience at 11.30 am. You get an explanation of the ingredients we’re using and about Lao food in general and after that we will start cookig. We will prepare 6 dishes (Laap, Sticky rice, Green papaya salad, Tomato dipsauce, Fried morning glory and a Lao style omelet). If you are vegetarian we will also prepare six dishes together and replace Laap with Fried vegetables. Cooking will take about 2 tot 2.5 hours and after this we will eat the food together.
In the evening a Lao style barbeque (sindard) will be prepared by us and some free shots of Lao rice whiskey are offered.
You will get a document (by e-mail, in English, German, French or Dutch) with the ingredients of the food we’ve prepared and we will send some photos by e-mail or Facebook to you while cooking food.
Included:
– Breakfast (noodlesoup and coffee or tea)
– Khao pun (Lao noodles) dish at the market
– Small snack from the market
– Boat transport from and to the market on the mainland
– Guided tour on the market on the mainland
– Six dishes we prepare during cooking
– Guidance speaking both English and Lao language
– Three shots of Lao rice whisky
– Free drinking water
– Lao style barbeque (sindard) in evening with pork, vegetables, eggs and noodles
– A positive experience you will hopefully not forget soon
Not included:
– Drinks
– Personal expenses
Prices
* 1 person: 355.000 Kip
* 2-4 persons: 295.000 Kip per person
* 5-6 persons: 280.000 Kip per person
Maximum 6 people
Facebook
For photos and more see the Facebook page 4000 Islands Cooking Class.
More information and bookings
Send us an email if you like to book the Lao Food Experience or if you want to know more about it: donsomlaos@gmail.com