We got up 5.30 to go to see monks gathering alms (mainly food) from the local laymen. According to some sources only Buddhists are to offer the alms to the monks but the rule appears to have been bent because as soon as we approached to the street where the monks start their walk the local vendors tried to sell us rice and bananas that we could give to the monks. That didn’t seem quite right. In the end, there were probably more tourists than locals offering the alms once the monks arrived. But of course that was only the start of the monks’ morning walk and probably they split up after that and go around the smaller streets where the locals live to get alms.
We headed to Lao cooking class by 8.30. We met the master chef Linda and the co-students (a couple from the UK, two girls from Canada and a Japanese girl) and chose recipes to learn. Afterwards, the sous-chef took us to a tour to the local Phousi market to see all the ingredients. Linda explained that the ingredients used for cooking at the restaurant were bought already around 5 in the morning, when everything was still fresh and the choice was better. For us the choice was still bewildering even at 9 o’clock. We could see all kinds of known and unknown vegetables, dried ingredients (e.g. Mekong weed, buffalo skin, etc). We could ask questions from the sous-chef who kindly explained us everything we wanted to know. This was really an excursion on its own, really interesting.
After visiting the market, Linda told us about the history of Lao cooking and made comparisons with different South East Asian cuisines. She also explained what the basic ingredients of the Lao kitchen are and what could serve as replacements in western countries (and what really cannot be replaced at all). We got then hands on with chopping techniques of the main ingredients, but in order to save time the ingredients for our dishes had already been chopped before. It was then time to get to kitchen and actually cook the stuff – the spring rolls, coconut milk soup with chicken, beef stew in Luang Prabang style, fish wrapped in banana leaves, chicken salad, green papaya salad and sticky rice with coconut milk.
Once the food was ready, it was time to eat it all. Really yummy! Linda gave us a recipe book and a certificate for completing the class :), and as a gift also small boxes which are used for serving sticky rice in Laos in the end.
We were really very happy the class – the food, the arrangement, the chef, everything. So if any of you should get a chance to come to Luang Prabang, we really recommend this course by Tum Tum Cheng Restaurant and Cooking School (tumtumcheng@yahoo.com, tel: +856202425499). Btw, even Jamie Olivier had been to Linda’s classes. Linda didn’t know then that he was a famous TV chef in Europe and got to know about it only after further students noted his name in the students’ list.
In the afternoon, we went to a really nice lounge bar with a nice view to the Nam Khan river to write the blog and read. The bar is called Utopia and is also worth visiting when in you happen to come to Luang Prabang.
We ended the day with another Lao body massage and this really was the best massage we’ve got during our trip so far. It was rather strong, but it felt right and professional. One of the Canadian girls who had been in the cooking class with us was a masseuse specialised on Thai massage and she recommended that place, where she had been the day before. So to continue to line of recommendations, we recommend for Lao massage the place called “Luang Prabang Massage and Spa” (we don’t have the exact contacts of this place, but it’s located right on the peninsula’s main street Sakkaline/Sisavanvong in the middle of travel agencies and restaurants).
Now we know what will be the theme of our next cooking event 🙂
Just-just :)!