Kaeng Nor Mai (Lao Bamboo Shoot Soup)

Medium·25 min

An earthy, herbal Lao soup of sliced bamboo shoots simmered in green yanang-leaf extract with pork, mushrooms and vegetables, seasoned with padaek and fish sauce and finished with sticky-rice paste, dill and basil. It is rustic, jungle-flavored and deeply satisfying.

This is the soup of the Lao countryside, built around whatever the forest and rice paddy give up after the rains. When bamboo shoots push up in the wet season, families gather them by the basketful, and the bitter, slender leaves of the yanang vine are wrung out for their grassy green juice that defines the dish. Thickened with a pinch of pounded sticky rice and funked up with padaek, it tastes of the jungle and is a staple from humble homes to temple kitchens.

The broth is grassy and faintly bitter from the yanang, with bamboo shoots giving a fibrous, almost meaty crunch. Padaek lays down a savory funk underneath, the squash turns it silky, and a bright lift of dill and basil keeps every spoonful smelling of the forest.

Yanang leaf juice contributes both color and a subtle mineral bitterness that balances the funk of padaek, while pre-boiling the bamboo leaches out astringent compounds. A small amount of pounded sticky rice releases starch that gently thickens and binds the broth without flour.

Variations

Make it with chicken or mushrooms only for a lighter version, use sour fermented bamboo for a tangy stew, or add okra and climbing wattle leaves for extra body and aroma.

On the Palate

Where Kaeng Nor Mai (Lao Bamboo Shoot Soup) sits in the Lao flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 6

500 gBamboo Shoot

1 cup juiceYanang Leaf

300 gPork Belly

2 tbspPadaek

300 gKabocha

1 cupWood Ear Mushroom

2 tbspGlutinous Rice

1 small bunchDill

How it's made

8 steps · 25 min

1
22 min
Boil fresh bamboo shoots for about 20 minutes to remove bitterness, then drain and slice.
Watch out
Boil the fresh shoots a good 20 minutes to leach out the bitterness — undercook them and the whole soup tastes harsh.
2
8 min
Knead or blend yanang leaves with water and strain to extract the dark green juice.
3
5 min
In a pot, bring the yanang liquid and pork stock to a gentle simmer with the bamboo shoots.
4
12 min
Add pork belly, padaek and fish sauce and simmer until the pork is tender.
5
8 min
Add lemongrass, kabocha squash and wood ear mushrooms and cook until the squash softens.
Watch out
Add the squash and simmer just until a knife slides in — push it further and it falls apart and clouds the broth.
6
2 min
Stir in a spoon of pounded sticky-rice paste to lightly thicken the broth.
Watch out
Stir in the pounded sticky-rice paste a little at a time until the broth just barely thickens — too much and it turns gluey.
7
2 min
Season with salt and add Thai chilies to taste.
8
2 min
Finish with dill, sawtooth herb and basil, then serve hot with sticky rice.