🇱🇦 Laotian Cuisine

Kaeng No Mai

Bamboo Shoot Soup

Prep Time 20 min

Servings 4

Difficulty Medium

Calories 195 kcal

A rustic and aromatic soup of fresh bamboo shoots simmered with chicken, herbs, and padaek. The slightly bitter bamboo balanced by the umami of fermented fish sauce creates a flavor profile unique to Laotian home cooking.

Ingredients

400g fresh bamboo shoots, sliced
300g chicken thighs, cubed
4 cups water
2 tablespoons padaek
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
3 shallots, crushed
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Fresh dill
Thai basil
Spring onions
Thai chilies

Instructions

1 Boil the fresh bamboo shoots in water for ten minutes to remove bitterness, then drain.
2 Bring fresh water to a boil with lemongrass, shallots, and garlic.
3 Add the chicken pieces and simmer for fifteen minutes.
4 Add the blanched bamboo shoots and continue cooking for another fifteen minutes.
5 Season with padaek and Thai chilies, adjusting the fermented fish flavor to taste.
6 Add fresh dill, Thai basil, and spring onions just before serving with sticky rice.

Did You Know?

Laotian cooks can identify over a dozen varieties of edible bamboo shoots, each with a different texture and bitterness level suited to specific dishes.