Several months ago when we were making plans for this trip, a couple we knew from the Mongolian trip (tlmmongolia.blogspot.com) suggested we take a cooking class after our workshop concluded. They made the arrangements and all we had to do was show up. It was through Tamarind restaurant which was a five minute walk from our hotel.
When all the participants arrived we piled into a van to head to the largest food market in Luang Prabang to see where all the food was purchased for our class. This market is open from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and is a sprawling affair with sections for everything you could imagine for sale. The fresh vegetables looked amazing and the variety was huge. We stopped at a rice vendor where our instructor explained the various kinds and qualities of rice available. Laos is known for its sticky rice.
Next we strolled through the meat market area. All kinds of meat was available along with every kind of cut imaginable. The women are the butchers because the men are out working during the day. The last stop was at a snack vendor. We got to try dried shaved bamboo that was very good along with dried mushroom chips which weren't quite as tasty to me. We were given a few minutes to wonder around the market before heading on to the place the cooking class would be held.
The class was in a big open air pavilion with a serene lily pond on one side. Cooking stations were set up at two long tables and a demo area was at the end. We also had interesting little live coal cooking stations that were made from what appeared to be clay pots cemented inside metal buckets. A variety of prep utensils such as knives, spoons and the very important mortar and pestle were available to each of us.
This class was really hands on with us prepping each dish and cooking it over the live coals. We made fish steamed in banana leaves, buffalo laap salad, chicken stuffed in lemon grass and sticky coconut rice with fresh fruit. It really was quite yummy and a fun way to spend a day learning about Laos food. We met some nice adventuresome travelers too. The one sort of disgusting thing we witnessed was one of the German tourists tasting his raw chicken mixture. I was almost sick for him!
We returned to the hotel mid afternoon and enjoyed an hour manicure before taking a trip up Mount Phu Si to witness a spectacular sunset along with 1000 (maybe a few less) of our closest friends. From this vantage point you could see the entire city and it was stunning. We waited for the crowd to clear before descending to the night market and then on to dinner. What a great way to spend the day.
Tomorrow: A Few More Monks
When all the participants arrived we piled into a van to head to the largest food market in Luang Prabang to see where all the food was purchased for our class. This market is open from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and is a sprawling affair with sections for everything you could imagine for sale. The fresh vegetables looked amazing and the variety was huge. We stopped at a rice vendor where our instructor explained the various kinds and qualities of rice available. Laos is known for its sticky rice.
Next we strolled through the meat market area. All kinds of meat was available along with every kind of cut imaginable. The women are the butchers because the men are out working during the day. The last stop was at a snack vendor. We got to try dried shaved bamboo that was very good along with dried mushroom chips which weren't quite as tasty to me. We were given a few minutes to wonder around the market before heading on to the place the cooking class would be held.
The class was in a big open air pavilion with a serene lily pond on one side. Cooking stations were set up at two long tables and a demo area was at the end. We also had interesting little live coal cooking stations that were made from what appeared to be clay pots cemented inside metal buckets. A variety of prep utensils such as knives, spoons and the very important mortar and pestle were available to each of us.
This class was really hands on with us prepping each dish and cooking it over the live coals. We made fish steamed in banana leaves, buffalo laap salad, chicken stuffed in lemon grass and sticky coconut rice with fresh fruit. It really was quite yummy and a fun way to spend a day learning about Laos food. We met some nice adventuresome travelers too. The one sort of disgusting thing we witnessed was one of the German tourists tasting his raw chicken mixture. I was almost sick for him!
We returned to the hotel mid afternoon and enjoyed an hour manicure before taking a trip up Mount Phu Si to witness a spectacular sunset along with 1000 (maybe a few less) of our closest friends. From this vantage point you could see the entire city and it was stunning. We waited for the crowd to clear before descending to the night market and then on to dinner. What a great way to spend the day.
Tomorrow: A Few More Monks
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