I went to Luang Prabang in Laos for a short holiday, it is a World Heritage site. Located next to the Mekong river and with high mountains around, it has a good setting and beautiful scenery. Laos is a Buddhist country and Luang Prabang has over 10 richly decorated temples with monks living and practising inside. The town's traditional wooden two-floor buildings are well maintained and the whole place has a calm and relaxing atmosphere, great place to chill out - and of course not to mention enjoy good Lao food and beer.
I joined a hiking trip to visit the nearby Quanxi waterfall, a karst type formation with pools of blue water down the slope. I also went kayaking on Nam Ou and Nam Keng rivers, both have high mountains on both sides and vegetable patches along the riverbanks.
I went to a cooking class organised by talented Chef and owner of 'Tamarind- a taste of Lao' restaurant. The class started with a visit to the nearby market to learn all the amazing herbs, weeds and local ingredients that are eaten daily in Lao cuisine.
Laos is a nation that consumes the most sticky rice in the world, it accompanies all meals, and also in desserts. We learned how to use the local steamer basket to cook it. To call it ‘glutinous’ is misleading as, like all other rice, it does not contain any gluten….
Steamed sticky rice
Spicy green papaya salad
Stuffed lemon grass
Fish steamed in banana leaf with herbs
Purple sticky rice with mango desert
