The Hungry Cyclist - Pedalling The Mekong For The Perfect Meal

Early Morning In Laos Hill Village - Video Post

Photographs From Cycle Touring & Eating In Northern Laos

Having just cycled into Yunnan in Southern China I have been able to make some time and upload some photographs from Northern Laos. This far north the Mekong is at her wildest and the languid river that meandered through Cambodia and Southern Laos began to become narrow and fast moving. This does not stop the locals here making the most of this natural waterway. As I cycled along the river from Vientiane, through Luang Prabang and along the border with Burma I was able to witness first hand how important the Mekong is to the people of Laos. Whether washing, swimming, fishing, panning for gold or simply getting from A to B the 'riverine' life of Northern Laos is fascinating and delicious and I hope these images give you some idea of what it looks and tastes like.  Click on the mosiac below to see individual images in Flickr

• Launch Slide Show

• Photos from Northern Laos
• Photos from Cambodia
• Photos from Vietnam & The Mekong Delta
• My travel photograph

Laos Raw Beef Larb

I love steak tartar, and should I ever find myself donning a pair of orange pajamas and manacles on death row it will be part of a very extensive and expensive last meal. The texture of the meat, the fresh flavors unaffected by cooking, and the simplicity of this classic are in my eyes as close to perfection as you can get.

So you can imagine my surprise when cycling along the border of Burma and Laos that I was treated to one of the best I have ever had. 60km on a broken road in searing heat might have enhanced my taste buds but sitting in a small thatched hut with an Akka family enjoying this traditional meal was very special. The additions of galangal and lemon grass were exceptional, but my lack of language made it impossible to get the recipe.

However the very next day I was lucky enough to see this dish being prepared in a small village getting ready for a wedding. A traditional favorite in Northern Laos it was being made on a grand scale by a gaggle of Akka women sat in a circle chopping and gossiping and on close inspection I think this recipe will work. I have since eaten similar dished made with tripe but this recipe should sit a little better at home.

(these ingredients are per person)

• 300 g of best beef tenderloin
• 8 fresh mint Leaves, finely chopped
•  3 slices of galangal, very finely chopped
• 3 slices of ginger, very finely chopped
• 6 coriander leaves and a couple of short stalks, finely chopped
• Juice from half a lime
•  a small stalk of lemon grass, sliced and then chopped
• 1 fresh chili, deseeded and well chopped
• 1 small shallot, well chopped
• A glug of good Fish Sauce
• A small glug of padek (if you can find this a little more fish sauce won’t hurt)
• A small glug of sesame oil if you are feeling fancy

1. Take a chunky chopping board and with a heavy knife, dice and then chop the beef until you have a course mince. Should take a good few minutes.

2. Place the beef in a bowl and add the other ingredients. Mix well with a fork until all the ingredients are fully blended and smelling wonderful. Have little taste and season as you like.

3. Serve with some cool sliced cucumber. 

Guo-Qiao Mi-Xian/Across the Bridge Noodles, Yunnan China

What is a good Chinese woman to do?

Her dedicated husband is busy studying for his imperial exams on a deserted island , and not wanting him to go hungry she carries him his lovingly prepared lunch over the long foot bridge. The only problem being that when she gets to her hungry lover the soup is cold and inedible.

Not just a pretty face after weeks of worry the dutiful wife discovered that by keeping a layer of oil on top of a bowl of stock would ensure that it was hot enough for him to cook the other ingredients when she arrived.

By all accounts after passing his exams with flying colours the husband credited his success to the quality of his wife’s cooking and the word spread through the state of Yunnan and today the recipe can be found in most cities and towns.

(these ingredients are for each person) 100g of thinly slices chicken breast

• 100 g of sliced cured ham
• 100 g of fresh squid body, sliced
• Some thin strips of tofu
• a good pinch of ground peanuts
• 2 raw quail eggs, broken into a small dish 
• 1 small bok choy, washed and chopped into strips
• 2 spring onions chopped
• Small bunch of coriander, well chopped
• Half a handful of mushrooms, wilder the better
• 250g fresh thick round rice noodle (go to your local Asian supermarket)
• A heavy soup bowl with 500ml of best chicken stock, piping hot! (Don’t skim the oil off the top)
• Fresh Yunnan Chili, Minced

1. This classic Yunnan dish should be prepared by the dinner at the table, providing some great culinary theater.

2. Each person at the table should get a deep soup bowl almost full of piping hot stock.

3. The other ingredients should be placed on the table and each dinner should first add the meat to the soup bowl, followed by the raw eggs, mushrooms and noodles. The heat of the soup will cook everything through and the soup will become infused with all the flavors.

4. Lastly add the peanuts, spring onion and coriander and some chili and soy sauce as you like. Get slurping…

Loas Bamboo Fresh Bamboo Shoot Salad

Cycling in Northern Laos the food could get a little repetitive. As one of the poorest parts of South East Asia the diet is very simple and every meal comes served with handfuls of the local staple, sticky rice. In order to add variety to their rice the locals here prepare small dishes of meat and vegtables that are pinched up with each mouth full of rice. Soaking up the  juices and spices from these small dishes the rice is transformed into something else!

Having followed a dirt road along the banks of the Mekong where  Laos meets Burma I was lucky enough to find this dish in the busy market in Luang Namtha. Bamboo shoots

• 250g of fresh bamboo shoots, shredded into thin strips
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tsp of brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of crushed dried chilies
• 1 tsp of vinegar
• 3 small shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 heaped tablespoons roughly chopped coriander leaves. Dill works very well too!
• 1 tablespoon fried sesame seeds

1. Add a small glug of water to a saucepan and heat gently. Add the shredded bamboo shoots and gently simmer for 60 seconds and then turn off the heat.

2. Now squeeze in the lime juice, add the fish sauce, garlic sugar all the remaining ingredients, stir well, turn out on to a plates and serve garnished with any remaining coriander.

Testing My GPS Cycle Tour Data in Google Earth

A few years ago when I began all this cycle touring, the idea of a blog was pretty way out, uploading photos was considered very 'avant guard' and a compass and map was just about all my simple navigation skills could muster. These days the travel technology available to track and record your trip is mind boggling.

Google Maps, Google Earth and the advent of GPS make it possible to track every turn of the pedals, that is if you have the correct gear of course. Somewhat of a technophobe I have remained a map and compass man through and through and think asking for directions should be part of every journey. However after cycling with my goog friend Lou in Laos he was kind enough to give me his old GPS.

About the size of an pager (remember them) it bleeps at me, tells me where I am in long coordinates that mean nothing to me and even lets me know how slow I am going. But perhaps best of all it also allows me to upload KML data files to a computer which then show me where I have been on google maps and earth.

Somewhat of a 'ludite' and starting to understand how my father felt when we got our first video recorder, it has taken me a few weeks to get to grips with this glorious gadget. Even now I am not sure what I am doing, but after hours of downloading and fiddling here is a little bit of my route that I manged to extract from Northern Laos to the Chinese border. Sadly other data has been lost but from now on I hope to be able to provide you with these maps that will give you an idea where I am. "You have reached your destination."

Photographs From Cycle Touring In Lao

I have at last been able to upload some photos from over a month of cycle touring and eating in Lao. Most of these images are from the south of the country taken while following the Mekong from Pakse to Luang Prabang.

Click here to see the individual photos in a slide show, or click on the mosaic below.

• Photos from Vietnam
• Photos from Cambodia

Laos Fish Larp/Larb

The Italians have pizza, the Germans a schnitzel, the Israelis love humus and the Mexicans a taco, but here in Laos it seems the undisputed national dish is Laap. Pronounced 'larp' this tasty dish is barley known outside of South East but here in Laos it is available in almost every town and a trip to Lao would not be complete with trying it. For one it is a combination of fresh flavors and ingredients and two the people of Lao believe laap to be lucky. It is common for Lao families to prepare laap if a relative is going away or making a journey and it is also prepared at many traditional ceremonies.

A versatile national dish a laap can be made with either beef, chicken, pork, cow intestine or fish. A simple recipe to prepare most of the time is spent chopping but the results are a well worth the work. This recipe is for a traditional fish laap that is best served with some sticky rice. Beef laap recipe to follow soon.

• 500 grams of fresh water fish fillet. (Tilapia) would work very well
• 1 sprig of fresh lemongrass
• 2 small Shallots
• Juice of one lime
• Small bunch of fresh dill
• Small bunch of fresh mint
• Fish sauce
• Toasted rice powder
• Whole fried chilies

1. Remove any skin from fish and strips. Then cut the strips into cm size chunks.
2. Add a third of a cup of water to a hot wok. Add the fish and Sauté fish quickly adding a few shakes of fish sauce for good measure. Remove from the heat and leave to cool until luke warm
3. In the meantime put on the radio and shred the lemongrass, chop and deseed the chili, thinly slice the shallots, finely chop the dill and mint add these to the wok and toss lightly.
4. Now add the lime and a couple more shakes of fish sauce into the mix and stir through. Lastly sprinkle one heaped tablespoon of toasted rice powder into the mix.
5. Serve with some chopped cabbage leaves and sticky rice.

Sien Savanh (Lao Beef Jerky)

Beef Jerky is perfect road food. Light weight, full of flavor and cheap and gives hours of tasty chewing pleasure making it the choice of truck drivers and cyclist all over the world. In Laos a few strips of beef or water buffalo jerky can be found hanging in most small villages and for a few thousand kip you have a perfect cycling snack that will add protein to tired muscles. Assuming that water buffalo is not yet available in the butchers of London here is a recipe for Lao beef jerky using a nice cheap flank steak of cut of silver side.

• 500 g beef flank steak, silver side is good too, thinly sliced into long strips
• 4 cloves of garlic crushed
• 1 small knuckle of ginger chopped and grounded into paste
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Sesame seed
• 1 tbsp brown Sugar
• Two large pinches of salt
• 1 tbsp Black pepper

   

1. Put the beef strips into a large mixing bowl.

2. Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame seed, sugar, salt, and black pepper

3. Mix well with your hands and marinate overnight.

4. Now lay out the beef strips on a tray and dry in the sun for an entire day, turning the strips occasionally to make sure both sides are dried.

5. Store in a cool, dry place and enjoy whenever you get peckish or need a snack to go with a cold beer.

Laos Peanut Dipping Sauce

Cycling from Vientiane to Luang Prabang was a grueling experience. The mountains were unforgiving and so was the heat. Five days of up and down left me exhausted and arriving in Lunag Prabang I collapsed into a cheap guest house. With no energy to go and find food I was lucky enough to be invited to join the family who owned the guest house for supper and I was treated to a feast of grilled meats dipped in a selection of traditional Laos dipping sauces. Ducks heads and intestine were all on offer but a it was this simple peanut sauce that won me over.

• A glug of cooking oil oil
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1 cup fresh coconut milk
• 2 sprigs lemongrass
• 3 chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup peanuts (fresh boiled ones if possible)
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 2 red chilies chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• Juice of one lime

 

1. Add the oil, chopped garlic and shallots to a wok and sweat over a medium heat until the garlic and shallots are translucent and your kitchen smells wonderful
2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir fry for about 10 minutes or until the sauce is thick and quite sticky.
3. Remove from heat take out the lemongrass and whizz in a blender for 10 seconds.

Serve this sauce with fresh spring rolls grilled chicken or grilled pork.

Jaew Bong - Lao Chile Dip

A meal in Laos would not be complete without a little spice and even the most bland handful of sticky rice can be transformed by dipping it into a tasty chili dip. Chilis are grown all over Lao and cycling through most villages they are seen drying on any surface that gets some sun. Here is a recipe for Jaew Bong which is found at most low tables and is wonderful with sticky rice.

• 10 dried red and green chilli peppers, grilled until brown and then finely chopped and pounded in a pestle and mortar 
• 3 shallots, chopped finely 
• 3 heads of garlic, chopped finely 
• 2 slices of galangal, chopped finely 
• Salt 
• Cooking oil 
• A healthy glug of fish sauce

1. Add a good glug of oil to a heavy pan and fry all ingredients over a high heat for 4 minutes. Mixing through so as not to burn.

2. Turn heat down and continue to cook until everything starts to soften and break down. 3. Allow to cool transfer to clean sterile jar with a little more oil and keep in fridge or cool place.

 

How To Make Sticky Rice (Khoa Niaw)– Lao Recipe

In Laos they eat a huge amount of rice. The average Laotian eats 250 kilos of rice a year which works out at a hefty 600 grams of this Asian staple every day! As the foundation of any Laos meal it is served in many guises from noodles to flour but the most popular way of serving rice in Laos is in its sticky form. Khoa Niaw is always served in lidded bamboo baskets called a tip khao and is traditionally eaten with your hands buy squeezing it into a healthy lump with your thumb and palm and then dipping it in any other sauces or dips at the table.

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Eating with your hands may seem a little primitive but as with any culture manners make'th the man! When eating sticky rice elders should always be offered rice first and you should always take the rice from the edge of the tip khao (basket) never from the middle. This rice in the middle is considered the best because its sweet and tender but taking this is considered the same as eating your parents heart!

In the last weeks in Loas I have been eating sticky rice on a daily basis and whether dipping it in a punchy chili dip, fresh laarp or spicy papaya salad I have come to love it. Lucky enough to see it being prepared here is simple recipe for this tasty Lao staple that is a perfect accompaniment to grilled chicken.

(You can but sticky rice in most Asian super markets and you need to buy the stuff that says glutinous on the label and most likely it will come from Thailand. If you can try and get hold of a steaming basket too.)

1. Rinse the glutinous rice several times under a cold tap to remove any grit and other nastiness.

2. Soak the rice in warm water for at least 4 hours or over-night.

3. Pour the soaked rice into a bamboo steaming basket if you have one, otherwise any steamer will do and drain. Cover the rice with a lid or cloth.

4. Now add 2/3 inches of water into a saucepan or the pot of your steamer. Place the steaming basket of rice onto the saucepan, or top the top half of the steamer.

5. Heat the water to a steady boil and cook for 20 minutes and then carefully remove the steaming basket from the pot and muddle the rice by shaking the steamer or basket in your hands before steaming for a further five minutes.

6. Mix the rice thoroughly with a fork and if you have one serve in a bamboo basket as seen in the picture below.

Kaa Feh Lao - (Lao Coffee)

'All I want from life is to ride my bike, be in love and drink good coffee' – Anon.

Sleeping rough and cycling make me a tired boy and getting out of my hammock in the early hours is never easy. With stiff limbs and a tired mind the first few miles of the day are often the hardest and coffee is never far from my mind. A good cup of coffee is a cycle tourists medicine and thankfully here in Loas it is in abundance.

Good arabica and robusta coffee beans are grown in Loas, with the majority coming from the high fertiles plantations of the Bolavan Plateau. Lieing almost 1500 meters above the Mekong Valley this fertile region of waterfalls and rivers produces nearly 10,000 tones of the good stuff eahc year and although most of the beans are exported a good cup of coffee is not hard to find. Filtred through a saggy piece of material and served sweetened with condensed milk a good Kaa Feh Lao should be so think you can float a nail in it!

Here is how to make your own at home.

• Pour two cm of condessed milk into a short glass
• Cover with strong filtered Lao Coffee
• Enjoy the ride!