What to Eat in Laos: Laotian BBQ
June 19, 2012 § 4 Comments
In a sidewalk eatery, a man brings to our table hot coals on a brazier where he affixes a dome shape griddle similar but not quite the ones used for Korean BBQ.
This one has an annulus around the bottom of the griddle, where he poured some broth.
He then came out with a plate of thinly sliced meat of beef, pork and chicken. And a basket of vegetables, tofu, mushrooms and some glass noodles.
It is a cross between shabu-shabu and Korean BBQ – the veggies, noodles et al. goes into the soup while meats are grilled on the dome-shaped griddle. The meat I dip into a sauce that I customize to my liking – on a base of peanut sauce, I add some chopped garlic, a bit of fresh chilies and a squeeze of lime juice – beautiful complement to the grilled meats.
The key ingredient, me thinks, is the pork fat provided to grease the griddle as the meat cooks. This plus all the drippings of the meat goes straight to the soup, making one glorious soup by the end of the meal.
This BBQ meal known locally as Sin Dat is best devoured on a cool evening as the heat of the hot coals can zap the energy out of you on a hot day. Although I extremely enjoyed both occasions (once in the middle of summer and more recently in January, the coolest month in Laos), I realized that the hot coals, not to mention the hot, flavorful soup can soothe ones senses on a cold, rainy evening.
One can’t possibly call a trip to Laos complete without experiencing this wonderful Laotian BBQ. Make sure not to miss this.
Satisfaction guaranteed. 🙂
Storm In My Kitchen 
a mouth watering post. i am fond of this kind of cuisine too.
the photo of the grill reminds me of the ones yakiniku restaurants in manila use. owning a smokeless grill is in my bucket list. haha! but drippings that go into the hot broth? genius. i’d like to believe you spent your time in Laos wisely. 😀
Yummy! Maybe you can post a video of it so we can try to imitate it here in the US.
[…] on the table and shared family style much like how the Koreans do it. It also reminded me of the Laotian Barbecue (sans the soup) I so enjoyed in Luang Prabang some years back. An unforgettable meal, that was. […]