Or lam

This versatile Lao stew is traditionally associated with Luang Prabang. The dish usually combines chunks of meat with typical Laotian spices such as lemongrass, cilantro, dill, basil, galangal, and sakhan – the stems from wild vines which impart a peppery, spicy flavor to or lam.

Other ingredients include onions, garlic, and eggplants which make the base of the broth, while the dish is finished off with the addition of rice balls, different vegetables, and grilled meat, usually beef, water buffalo, pork, or chicken, although some less common varieties may also include fish.

It is believed that or lam originated sometime before the 1600s, due to the addition of sakhan, which was later replaced by chili peppers.