• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
✮ The Food Dictator ✮

The Hirshon Laotian Or Lam – ເອາະຫຼາມ

July 27, 2015 by The Generalissimo Leave a Comment

778
SHARES
FacebookTwitterPinterestRedditWhatsappYummly
Light Dark Dark Light
()
The Hirshon Or Lam
Or Lam Image Used Under Creative Commons License From eatingasia.typepad.com

Citizens, after a week of well-known classic diner recipes, it’s time to not just jump back into the water – we are CANNONBALLING with one of the most unique recipes you’ll ever find! 😀

That’s just how we roll here at TFD.

The country of Laos is barely known outside of Southeast Asia due to a Marxist/Communist government that took power in 1975 and that until recently discouraged both emigration and tourism.

A fascinating country with strong Buddhist roots, its cuisine incorporates many unique ingredients found only in the Laotian jungle. Interesting anecdote – chicken is still a wild bird in Laos!

Or lam (pronounced “Awe Lahm”) – a humble dish of village origins savored by royalty – is the Laotian city of Luang Prabang‘s iconic dish.

Or lam is a soupy stew incorporating a range of vegetables, grilled meats or fish in a broth thickened with puréed eggplants and a ping-pong ball-size scoop of grilled glutinous rice. In Laos, or lam ingredients change with the seasons and according to availability.

The dish’s trademark flavor profile is that of many northern Lao dishes: complexity. In or lam, this is achieved with the addition of a number of fresh herbs including lemongrass, dill, culantro and basil amongst others), and a tingly heat derived not only from chilies and black pepper, but also from sakhan, the woody stem of a wild Laotian vine.

The black and Sichuan peppercorns, dried red chilies and celery leaf used here are the replacements for sakhan, which is rarely (if ever) available in the United States.

Sawtooth herb is called Ngo Gai ~ “N-gaw guy” in Vietnamese and is also known as Mexican coriander, thorny coriander, culantro and saw-leaf herb.

A favored herb for tearing up and adding to hot bowls of pho beef noodle soup, this herb is native to Central America and is now grown throughout Southeast Asia and Latin America.

The leaves are thick and the thorns edging the leaves won’t hurt you. Flavorwise, it’s stronger than true cilantro, yielding a much earthier flavor. You can always substitute cilantro if it’s unavailable, but you can find it at Asian, Caribbean and sometimes Latino markets.

Rattan shoots are sometimes sold jarred, in Thai grocery stores – soak them in cold water (with a squeeze of lime) for one hour, rinse and steam until soft.

I’ve substituted spinach and mushrooms for the rare jungle herbs and leaves that simply are not available outside Laos. Since there is no definitive recipe (or even meat choice!) for or lam, my version is as authentic as any.

Citizens, don’t be intimidated by its unusual ingredients. With my suggested substitutes, you can make a fine Lao feast and you will NOT regret your effort!

Battle on – The Generalissimo

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

The Hirshon Laotian Or Lam – ເອາະຫຼາມ


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Total Time: 0 hours
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 tablespoons cooked sticky rice
  • 1/2 pound boneless pork loin cut into slices (authentic) or I have used Chinese BBQ pork (char siu) – I personally prefer char siu
  • 2 snake beans, cut into 2-inch pieces or substitute string beans
  • 1/4 cup sliced spinach leaves
  • 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms (I prefer chanterelles, but use whatever wild mushroom you have access to)
  • 1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms (optional but highly recommended – available in Chinese supermarkets. Mandarin Chinese: 云耳; pinyin: yún’ěr, lit. “cloud ear”) or 木耳 (pinyin: mù’ěr, lit. “wood ear” or “tree ear”)
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
  • 3 sprigs dill
  • 4 leaves sawtooth herb, if available – if not, substitute 4 tablespoons minced cilantro
  • 3 dried red Chiles de Arbol or 5–6 fresh Thai chilis
  • In a tea infuser or bundled into a piece of cheesecloth:
  • 3 teaspoons whole black peppercorns and 15 Sichuan peppercorns
  • 5 celery leaves
  • 3 to 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with some stock
  • Asian eggplant (about 8 inches total) cut crosswise into 1-inch slices
  • 12 to 16 rattan shoots (optional) – or substitute 2 parsnips or a turnip, peeled and cut into batons
  • 1 large sprig lemon or Thai basil

Instructions

  1. Grill the pork and sticky rice over a low flame (or roast under a broiler) until the rice is dry and partly brown and the pork is just cooked (if using raw pork) or takes on some color if using char siu. Cool.
  2. Put beans, spinach, mushrooms, lemongrass, dill and sawtooth herb in a bowl of cold water to soak.
  3. Bring stock to a boil over low heat, then lower to a steady simmer. Taste and add salt if needed.
  4. Break the sticky rice into ½-inch pieces and add to the simmering stock. Ingredient by ingredient, add the lemongrass that’s been soaking, prepared eggplants, and rattan (or substitutes). Simmer for 4 minutes.
  5. Add the chilies and infuser or cheesecloth bag of peppercorn mixture, then simmer for 10 more minutes.
  6. Remove chilies and eggplants from stew when soft and put into a mortar or food processor. Pound or pulse to a coarse pulp.
  7. Drain the remaining soaking vegetables, spices and herbs. Add all to the stew plus the pork and the cornstarch slurry and simmer for several minutes. Add the eggplant pulp. Taste for salt and add if necessary.
  8. Garnish with more fresh dill and serve with plain white or sticky rice and a Laotian dip (jaew).
  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours
  • Category: Recipes

Nutrition

  • Calories: 367.1 kcal
  • Sugar: 20.25 g
  • Sodium: 1715.64 mg
  • Fat: 7.99 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.71 g
  • Trans Fat: 0.03 g
  • Carbohydrates: 52.11 g
  • Fiber: 8.83 g
  • Protein: 23.53 g
  • Cholesterol: 42.59 mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thefooddictator on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook and hashtag it #TFD

How useful was this post, Citizen?

Click to rate My Recipe, Citizen - 5 hearts are ALWAYS appreciated!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Follow us on social media, Citizen!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Related posts:

The Hirshon Ultimate Greek Tzatziki Dip - Τζατζίκι
The Hirshon Supreme Texas Queso Dip
The Hirshon Fijian Goat Curry And Coconut Chutney
Pineapple Kimchi Via Iceland!
The Hirshon Mexican White Mole Sauce - Molé Blanco
The Hirshon Moroccan Ras El Hanout - رأس الحانوت‎
The Hirshon Pakistani Beef and Marrow Stew - نہاری
The Hirshon Turkish Dill and Feta Bun - Poğaça

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Pork, Salad

About The Generalissimo

The myth of the Generalissimo is far more interesting than the reality.

Previous Post: « Bridget’s Blueberry Pancakes
Next Post: Smørrebrød – Danish Open-Faced Sandwiches »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

➤ Citizens – Please Support TFD Nation!

Donate to Help TFD!

⇔ Search, And Ye Shall Assuredly Find!

✮ Citizens ✮

TFD currently has a total of 1,363 posts and 1,159,134 words written since December of 2014! Add your voice to My 50,000+ dedicated readers, comment on My recipes and thus become an active member of TFD Nation! Looking for a particular recipe? Search for it in the box above or via the category tags below - there are THOUSANDS of the finest in world and historic recipes here!

❧ TREMBLE Before Our Categoric Zeal!

Appetizers (145)Beef (143)Beverages (24)Bread (111)Cheese (64)Chicken (132)Chinese (121)Chocolate (16)Condiments (262)Dessert (166)Drinks (23)Duck (20)Egg (47)Fish (56)French (56)Game (30)Georgian (34)Indian (60)Italian (58)Jewish (84)Lamb (73)Manifestos (1)Pasta (90)Pork (147)Salad (40)Sandwich (42)Seafood (84)Shrimp (53)Soup (109)Spices (12)Tofu (7)Turkey (15)Veal (18)Vegetables (108)

✺ Click to Follow Us Across Social Media!

Facebook   

    instagram

☥ TFD SPEAKS!!!

https://www.thefooddictator.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/TFD-Avatar-Cold-Open-FINAL.mp4

 Enjoy TFD’s Mellifluous Podcasts, Citizen!

Listen on Apple Podcasts

© 2023 · The Food Dictator is abjectly served by WORDPRESS

✮ The Food Dictator ✮
Manage Cookie Consent
Citizens!

Be advised that as an enlightened Dictatorship here at TFD, we are indeed on the side of right when it comes to protecting the privacy of TFD Nation!

We do use technologies such as cookies to store and/or access device information, solely to improve your browsing experience and to show personalized ads.

Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions - trust us, we really ARE on your side!

YOUR LOYALTY IS NOTED! 🎖️
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
778
SHARES
FacebookTwitterPinterestRedditMailYummly