The Hungry Cyclist - Pedalling The Mekong For The Perfect Meal

Pho Bo (beef noodle soup) A Perfect Mekong Breakfast

For porridge and cornflake fans a bowl of soup may not sound like a great way to start your day, but in South East Asia millions go to work on a bowl pho. Traditionally a Vietnamese dish, as well as a national obsession, the simplicity this aromatic noodle soup has ensured that it is not only a favorite breakfast in Vietnam but Cambodia and Laos as well.

Found everywhere from largest cities to remote hillside hamlets, look out for any shack or canteen billowing steam into the morning air and inside you will discover locals hunched over deep bowls working chopsticks to a chorus of loud slurping.

Pronounced ‘fur’ this rice-noodle soup is served steaming-hot with tender cuts of beef, or some intestine if you’re lucky, as well as bundles of fresh herbs, limes, chili and fish sauce so you can customize your Pho to make the perfect South East Asian Breakfast.

Serves 4

For The Broth

• 2.5 litres of good beef stock (the best is always homemade with beef bones from the leg and knuckle)
• a good finger of ginger cut into in thick slices
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 large pinch of coriander seeds,
• 4 star anise
• 2 tbls of salt
• 200ml of fish sauce
• 50 grams of brown sugar

For the Pho

• One large packet of rice noodles (if you can get the soft, fresh ones from an Asian Supermarket, all the better)
• 500g of skirt steak or sirloin
• a healthy bunch of the following herbs. fresh mint, cilantro, basil, morning glory (if you can get it)
• 4 spring onions, just the bottom half well chopped
• 2 limes, quartered
• 4 small chili peppers, sliced
• 200g of bean sprouts, rinsed
• Soy sauce
• Fish Sauce
• Fish Paste (a punchy flavor so be careful)
To prepare the broth

1. Add your stock to a large pan and turn on the heat. Add the onion, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander seeds, star anise, salt, sugar and fish sauce. Bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for an hour or two. Strain the broth of the onion, spices and any scum with a slotted spoon and taste. Adjust with a little more fish sauce or salt as you like and keep it simmering on the lowest heat.

To Prepare the Pho

1 .Slice your beef as thin as you can across the grain and set aside.

2. Bring a separate pan of water to the boil and following the directions on your noodles cook accordingly. Fresh noodles need no more than a five second dip in boiling water, others might need up to a minute of boiling. Either way, once cooked, strain and divide equally amongst four deep soup bowls.

3. After the noodles, equally divide the raw beef amongst each of the bowls along with the spring onions.

4. Bring your broth back to a boil and carefully ladle it into each bowl to completely cover the noodles and beef. The hot broth will cook your raw beef slices.

5. Having placed all the herbs, chopped chili, sauces and bean sprouts on the table. Give each guest their bowl of noodles and beef and they can now customize their Pho. Plenty of fresh herbs, a small handful of bean sprouts, a few squeezes of lime juice, a couple of shakes of fish sauce and soy sauce, some chili and 3 or 4 twists of ground black pepper should all be added, before grabbing your chopsticks, leaning over your bowl and slurping.

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. 

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.

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.

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!

Laos Green Mango & Chili Salad

Cycling in the sticky heat of South East Asia the ubiquitous bowl of steaming noodles found in every village and town can often seem like a sweat inducing lunch too far. But needing to keep hydrated and energy levels up, food should never be shunned.

To help whet my appetite for the noodle soups a fresh salad often cools me down ready for the next course and this green mango salad is a favorite of mine in Laos. Simple to make and using ingredients that are found in the most rural kitchens, this refreshing salad combines the best of sweet and sour South East Asian flavors. Green mango (unripe) can be found in any Asian food market and can also be replaced with green papaya but I will add that recipe soon.

• 1 cup shredded mango (thin as match ticks please - use a shredder or the gadget on the top of your blender)
• 2 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts.
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onions
• 2 chopped chilies
• 2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste

In a bowl, add sugar, fish sauce and shrimp paste. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add chilies and red onions and mix well. Add mixture to a bowl of shredded mango and toss. Top with crushed toasted peanuts.