Kai Pen (Riverweed) & Buffalo Skin Chilli
Dinner @ Lasi Cuisine in Luang Prabang.
"Kai Pen" or Riverweed (as opposed to Seaweed from the ocean)
It's paper-thin sheets of spiced river algae. Kai (Laotian for “river-grass”) grows in the Mekong and its tributaries. When the water level is low during the dry season the bright green algae is picked from the riverbed, and patted until tender. A broth (from tamarind and a jungle fruit named hog plum) is cooked to spice the algae and make it stick together. Soaked with the broth, the kai is laid out and shaped into sheets. Sesame is sprinkled over, and some garlic, onions and sliced tomatoes too. Then the sheets are sun dried. Kai Pen is a traditional snack in the villages of Northern Laos. How to prepare it? Fry it for a few seconds in oil.
Next to it, is Buffalo Skin Chilli, almost Malay "Sambal" in style and served as a spicy dip/condiment. Dried water-buffalo skin (nang kuai haeng) is a very popular ingredient in Luang Prabang cooking. You can actually see strips of chewy buffalo skin, looking a translucent yellow, hiding amidst the mashed paste of chilli, onion and spices.
Kai Pen (Riverweed) & Buffalo Skin Chilli
Dinner @ Lasi Cuisine in Luang Prabang.
"Kai Pen" or Riverweed (as opposed to Seaweed from the ocean)
It's paper-thin sheets of spiced river algae. Kai (Laotian for “river-grass”) grows in the Mekong and its tributaries. When the water level is low during the dry season the bright green algae is picked from the riverbed, and patted until tender. A broth (from tamarind and a jungle fruit named hog plum) is cooked to spice the algae and make it stick together. Soaked with the broth, the kai is laid out and shaped into sheets. Sesame is sprinkled over, and some garlic, onions and sliced tomatoes too. Then the sheets are sun dried. Kai Pen is a traditional snack in the villages of Northern Laos. How to prepare it? Fry it for a few seconds in oil.
Next to it, is Buffalo Skin Chilli, almost Malay "Sambal" in style and served as a spicy dip/condiment. Dried water-buffalo skin (nang kuai haeng) is a very popular ingredient in Luang Prabang cooking. You can actually see strips of chewy buffalo skin, looking a translucent yellow, hiding amidst the mashed paste of chilli, onion and spices.