A complex and aromatic stew from Luang Prabang featuring buffalo meat, eggplant, lemongrass, dill, and the distinctively numbing Lao pepper wood. This royal dish layers flavors through slow cooking and is considered the pinnacle of Laotian cuisine.
Ingredients
500g buffalo or beef chuck, cubed
3 Asian eggplants, cubed
4 stalks lemongrass, bruised
Large bunch of fresh dill
100g yard-long beans, cut into pieces
Sakhan pepper wood sticks or Sichuan peppercorns
4 dried chilies
3 tablespoons fish sauce
6 cups water
Thai basil leaves
Spring onions
Sticky rice for serving
Instructions
1Char the dried chilies and lemongrass over an open flame until fragrant and slightly blackened, then pound roughly in a mortar.
2Brown the buffalo meat in a heavy pot, then add water and bring to a simmer with the charred aromatics and pepper wood sticks.
3Simmer for one hour until the meat is tender, skimming any foam that rises to the surface.
4Add eggplant and yard-long beans, cooking for another fifteen minutes until vegetables are soft but not mushy.
5Stir in fresh dill, Thai basil, and spring onions, seasoning with fish sauce and adjusting to taste.
6Serve hot alongside sticky rice, leaving the pepper wood sticks in the stew for continued flavor infusion.
Did You Know?
The secret ingredient sakhan (Lao pepper wood) creates a unique tingling sensation on the tongue that cannot be replicated by any other spice in the world.