Or Lam and Purple Sticky Rice - Luang Prabang

It's possible to visit Luang Prabang and be tricked into thinking you're eating Lao food. Most of the restaurants pimp Thai curries as Lao food. Although most don't do it to be deceptive, it's a disservice to real Lao cuisine. We searched around for traditional Laotian dishes and found some at a simple restaurant named, of all things, the Fruit Shake Restaurant. Yes, we know, with a name like that, how authentic could it be. Plenty, it seems.

The stew in the foreground is Or Lam - a spicy stew with mushrooms, eggplant, meat, lemongrass and chillies. This particular Or Lam did not have the wood bits that give off a spicy numbing feeling when you chew on it. We tried the wood later on in Nong Khiaw - a truly bizarre taste sensation.

Learn more about Lao cuisine and markets.