Last Updated on July 24, 2012 by Jess
Piles of bright green seaweed and giant fish fresh from the nearby Mekong river, mounds of small, bright oranges, live toads and fried rats on the BBQ…the markets of Laos were some of the most exciting and colorful we’ve seen in South East Asia.
Although we had heard of fried rats in Thailand, it wasn’t until Luang Prabang’s morning market, geared towards local shoppers, where we saw a couple of stands though that offered these little rodents.
We saw living toads, which I am sure were not sold to be enjoyed as pets…
The markets are filled with local vegetables and spices that are used to make the delicious Lao dishes, like curries or rice dishes.
When ordering food, we would often inquire about the herbs or veggies in a dish only to be told that they were ‘from the forest, only grow in Laos’. The markets are where people from the interior would come to sell these mysterious forest vegetables.
What a spectacle, and we loved every minute of it! Many soups and stews are cooked with a branch of wood from a tree inside – apparently it adds a lot of flavor to the dishes, but of course it’s taken out of the pot before the dish is served.
Many restaurants offer dishes with fresh seaweed from the Mekong River, and this is what that looks like:
Fish is the main source of protein in the Laotian diet, and it is devoured in every imaginable form: fresh…
And the head is supposed to be extremely scrumptious…
The flowers from banana trees are edible, and are cut up into little pieces and added to rice dishes or used for the famous banana flower salads, which are delicious.
Some of the main ingredients of Lao cuisine: round eggplant, lemongrass (both used for Lao curry) and green papayas – which are a vegetable and used mainly for the fresh Papaya Salads that are served everywhere.
Spicy papaya salads are made by pounding the spices (chili, garlic, tomatoes, salt) in a mortar, shaved papaya is added, and finally the whole thing is topped with peanuts and lime sauce. Delish! If you are a vegetarian, just ask not to have fish/oyster sauce added, but soy sauce instead.
Another very important ingredient of Lao cooking: spicy chilis.
And nothing goes without rice – there are usually three different kinds of rice in the markets: steamed rice, sticky rice, and dark sticky rice.
These baskets are used to steam the sticky rice above the pot of boiling water.
Fresh out of the Mekong River: Crabs, ready to be cooked and easy to transport.
These pretty little parcels (made from banana leaves) hold minced pork inside.
Desserts are usually grilled bananas or taros…
…or (not only loved by Westerners) donuts!
…We also sampled some pretty cake from one of the bakery stands:
Lao coffee, often served in little glass cups, tends to have at least an inch of condensed milk at the bottom unless you specifically request to have it black. With a shortage of Starbucks or other coffee shops, Lao coffee is everywhere and whether you love it or hate it, throughout most the country it is the only option. Obviously, then, we have had loads of these coffees…
The biggest part of the night market in Luang Prabang is dedicated to handicrafts – woven cloths and blankets, silk scarves, plus silver jewelry, handmade masks, paintings and umbrellas.
At the end of the main road in Luang Prabang, there are several stands that sell fresh fruit smoothies for 5,000 kip ($0.63) and the typical big Lao baguettes, freshly made to your order, for 10,000 kip ($1.25). They usually have them with cheese, omelet or boiled eggs, turkey, chicken or tofu.
For truly budget eating, head down a little alley towards the south end of the market (before the baguette stands). It is a tight squeeze, but dozens of food stands line this covered walkway, fitting in tables for diners who scoop up these deals. The buffets, which cost $1.25 for all you can fit on your plate, are all vegetarian, with meat (especially freshly grilled fish) added on top.
We piled our plates high with several versions of fried noodles, rice, tofu and vegetables, along with salad and fruit at the stand we found to be the best. The dishes vary slightly from stand to stand, so it’s worth having a look around before deciding which stall to buy from – so don’t be intimidated when the first stands shove a plate in your hand right away. Just take your time for the cheapest buffet of your life!
If you are more adventurous, you can try some fried bugs which are available in most of the night markets…
Wow, that buffet really does look insane! I’m not sure if I could pass up one of those tasty Lao baguettes, but the deal definitely can’t be beat! Your pictures have made me: a) really hungry; and b) sad that there aren’t such vibrant markets in Nashville.
LOL, oh I don’t think there’s any market like that where we’re from either, Steph! The baguettes are amazing! Stuffed with yummy vegetables & cheese & egg… couldn’t get enough of them!
Great pictures!
Thanks, Rachel 🙂
Wonderful pics and fascinating captions – thanks for posting these!
The buffet looks and sounds amazing, though I’m not sure I could stomach those bugs.
Thanks Mark 🙂 That buffet was a vegetarian’s dream!
Magical! I love South East Asian markets. Those cakes look awesome, even though they strangely look like they are resembling baguettes. 🙂
Tammy – I actually think these cakes are kind of a sweet baguette with a cream filling. They sure look pretty though 🙂
Great collection of photos! A mix of the delicious and strange.
Thanks, Stephanie! It certainly was a weird mix of emotions – dead rats at one stand and two stands over delicious-smelling French baguettes!!
Since I am a Veggie, I will head straightaway for those chillies!!
We use chillies here in India so much and I just love it!!
That makes us happy – we’re heading to India tomorrow and we’re looking forward to some spicy food 🙂
Great photos. I love food markets — except I’d still be stuck at the bakery.
Thanks Lane – I am the same… can’t walk by any bakery – have to at least look at what they have, but most of the time I end up walking out with something sweet 😀
I LOVE market shots, these are spectacular!
Thanks so much, Andi 🙂
I have to get used to the idea I am going to see images like the fried rats when I am in SE Asia. Hard to do though!
Yes, not a pretty picture 🙂 I can accept it though because they are rats (eeew), and I preferred the living toads in Laos to the skinned frogs we saw in Thailand though.. and to the STILL ALIVE skinned frogs we saw in a market in Cambodia 🙁
It’s all so colorful!
I think I’ll pass on the bugs, though…
I can totally understand, Amanda 😉 Kudos to all the travelers who have the guts to try fried crickets, silk worms and even cockroaches – I couldn’t bring myself to do it!
You didn’t tell us what the rodents taste like. Inquiring minds want the vicarious pleasure. 🙂
Barbara – to be honest, we did NOT want to find out what the rats taste like.. I think even if we weren’t vegetarians we wouldn’t have dared to eat them 😉
I miss the markets in Laos so much!! This has made me want to go back even more – great post.
Thank you, Brittney – we miss the markets, too & I hope we’ll find some great street markets in India!
Great pictures! i remember doing waaay too much shopping at these markets when I was there 🙂
Thanks, Jade! We wanted to shop so badly – saw so many things that we loved, but since we don’t even have a home for all the stuff we wanted to buy we decided to return to Thailand & Laos and do a huge market tour once we’ve settled down somewhere. 🙂
Aside from the RATS, I’m in love with this market! I need one of those baskets.
Thanks Reg! We almost bought one of these baskets – it’s the perfect way to cook rice!! We definitely have to go back to Laos for some shopping 😉
I love the colors in these photos. I’m a huge fan of markets, though I’m not sure I would be able to try all the goodies at this one. Great post guys. Makes me miss Laos.
Thank you 🙂 Laos was definitely one of our favorite places in SE Asia!!
To me, visitng markets is one of the most exhilarating experiences to be had. I try to visit at least one in every country I stop by. Your banana flowers shot brought to my mouth the taste of the salad made with it. Yummmm!!
Ruth, we do the same thing: at least one market in every country we visit 🙂 Banana flower salads are delicious, right? Missing them already!
Lao coffee! Totally made me smile to see that. I really hated the condensed milk in my coffee when I first got to SE Asia, but I got used to it. Those little cups really kept me going when I was in Luang Prabang and I bought a package of Lao coffee to bring home with me 🙂
We tried to avoid the condensed milk, rather than increase the sugar addiction even further! It’s crazy to see just how much condensed milk they pour into their coffee, though, amazing!