Or Lam

Popular in Luang Prabang, Or Lam is a mildly spicy and thick Laotian stew mostly cooked with dried buffalo meat, beef, game meat or chicken, lemongrass, Sa Khan, chilies, mashed eggplants, wood ear mushrooms, and yard long bean.

How to Make Or Lam

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons cooked sticky rice

1 chicken thigh and drumstick, boned and flattened

2 snake beans, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 small handful new pumpkin vines

1 stalk lemongrass, bruised

3 sprigs dill

4 leaves sawtooth herb, if available

3 dried red chilies

In a tea infuser or bundled into a piece of cheesecloth:

3 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

15 Sichuan peppercorns

5 celery leaves

3 to 4 cups chicken (or other meat) stock

Salt to taste

7 small globe eggplants, stems removed, cut vertically into partial quarters, leaving eggplant intact at bottom (if globe eggplants are unavailable substitute Japanese or other long thin eggplants (about 8 inches total) cut crosswise into 1-inch slices

12 to 16 rattan shoots (optional) – or substitute 2 parsnips or a turnip, peeled and cut into batons

1 large sprig lemon or Thai basil

Instructions:

1. Grill the flattened chicken and sticky rice over a low flame (or roast under a broiler) until the rice is dry and partly brown and the chicken is just cooked. Cool.
2. Prepare beans, pumpkin leaves, lemongrass, dill and sawtooth herb and put in a bowl of cold water to soak.
3. Bring stock to a boil over low heat, then lower to a steady simmer. Taste and add salt if needed.
4. Break the sticky rice into ½-inch pieces and add to the simmering stock. Ingredient by ingredient, add the lemongrass that’s been soaking, prepared eggplants, and rattan (or substitutes). Simmer for 4 minutes.
5. Add the chilies and infuser or cheesecloth bag of peppercorn mixture, then simmer for 10 more minutes.
6. Remove chilies and eggplants from stew when soft and put into a mortar or food processor. Pound or pulse to a coarse pulp.
7. Cut the grilled chicken into ½-inch slices. Drain the remaining soaking vegetables and herbs. Add all to the stew and simmer for several minutes. Add the eggplant pulp. Taste for salt and add if necessary.
8. Serve with plain white or sticky rice and a Laotian dip (jaew).