Editor's Note: Lao Chef, Saengthong Douangdara was a recent guest on Foodbeast's 'The Katchup' podcast to discuss all things Lao food. Listen to the episode here.

It can be confusing sometimes when you enter a Southeast Asian restaurant because you may have run into some dishes you didn’t know originated from Laos. This is especially common with Thai restaurants.

This is because when Lao people came to the U.S. as refugees of the Vietnam War starting in 1975, the Lao people that opened restaurants started creating Thai restaurants with Thai food and Lao dishes sprinkled throughout the menu. That's because Thai food was the easiest way for Lao people to gain leverage in the U.S. since many Westerners loved and knew about Thai cuisine already. As a result, customers of these restaurants started getting these foods confused. But these days, thanks to a growing awareness, a Lao food movement is helping Laotians feel empowered about their food.

Lao food is very spicy, pungent, fermented, fresh, and features an aggressive amount of flavors. Some important ingredients to make Lao food are: padaek (unfiltered fish sauce), sticky rice, galangal, lime leaves, lemongrass, green onions, cilantro, and mint. Many foods are fermented with sticky rice like som pak (fermented mustard greens); it is similar to kimchi without the vibrant red colors.

Let's break down the signature nine essential dishes that make up Lao cuisine so you can feel confident in looking for and trying them!

Khao Niew

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Who else ran into the kitchen to get a lump of sticky rice with salt sprinkled around it? . . . #stickyrice #laofood #laofoodmovement #laosfood #laos #lao #rice ##carbs #laosangeles #khaoniew #lachef

A post shared by LAO FOOD, CHEF, & RECIPES ???? (@iamsaeng) on Dec 15, 2018 at 9:22pm PST

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