Sticky Rice
Sticky rice is called khao niaw in Lao and differs to the traditional long grain and jasmine rice that Vietnamese, Thai and Westerners are used to. Sticky rice in its raw form is harder and whiter than other rice, which have an opaqueness appearance. To cook the rice, it is first saturated in water overnight in a bowl, although a few hours is sufficient, and by morning the rice will have absorbed some of the water. Now it is ready to be steamed. The rice is drained in a basket and the left over rice is cooked in a cauldron like pot, that has some boiling water at its base producing steam to rise. The steaming continues until the rice softens, whereby you need to "flip" the rice, which has now begun to clump together, upside down so the steaming process occurs evenly. A few minutes later, ball of rice begins to curl up at its end due to the steam and this signifies that it is ready to be served. The rice is then placed in a small woven bamboo basket and kept warm until ready to be eaten by hand. The great thing about sticky rice is that you can never throw it away. When the rice cools down it begins to harden and after 24 hours it loses its moisture and hardens to a point where it is inedible. The solution is to resteam the rice and mix it with a new raw batch.
In the urban areas, such as Vientiane and Luang Prabang, the long grain and jasmine rice is served at all restaurants but not really found in the rural areas. Whilst sticky rice is eaten by hand, long grain rice is always eaten with a spoon and fork. Chopsticks are reserved for Chinese-style noodle dishes or for use in Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants.
Baguette
One lasting effects from the colonial rule of France is their bakeries. The Indochina states are all adept at producing freshly baked breads and baguettes and this skill has seen many Vietnamese bakeries being opened in many Western countires. In Laos baguettes can be found selling in the town centers and served for breakfast with jam or filled as a sandwich with pate, pork, pickled vegetables, and chilli sauce.
Laap
Laap is made from minced meat, fish or vegetables which are tossed with lime juice, garlic, grounded rice, green onions, mint leaves and chilies. It is a cold salad served with fresh cucumbers salad and sticky rice.
Pho
Pho is a noodle soup using white rice noodles. It's similar to Pho found in China and Vietnam. The noodle soup is cooked in a meaty broth that has been boiled for hours. Tender meat and bean shoots are added into the soup and is served with fresh vegetables.
Bping (grilled) Gai (chicken)
Bping Gai is a marinated chicken on a stick that is cooked over a coal fire. The coal creates a sensual charcoal flavour and coupled with the marinade this is a very popular food. It is eaten with sticky rice, a dipping sauce and nearly always combined with a Som Taam, a spicy papaya salad.
Som Taam
Som Taam is a green papaya salad that is concocted by mixing the ingredients in a Lao version of a mortar and pestle, which is called a khok. It is a fresh cold dish using green papaya with a lot of lemon juice, chilli, fish sauce, msg, and plaa laard (fermented fish). It goes excellently with a bping gai (grilled chicken). The secret ingredient lies in the plaa laard, however this fermented fish is sometimes very poorly fermented especially in impoverished regions of Laos, and if not fermented properly can contain flukes which causes serious digestive problems. Aside from that you can have the Som Taam without the plaa laard which I personally find just as tasty.
