The Keang kai is a chicken soup typical of north part of Laos. Lao cuisine is not that far away from Thai culinary tradition, may be a little milder and with a French legacy: as you cross the border you meet bakery selling baguettes.
Mulberries is an organic silk farm based in Phonsavan. As tradition wants it, nothing from silk production is wasted, so the silk pupa, just boiled (as part of the process to wound the silk filaments) or stir-fried, is a highly esteemed protein supplier. But sometimes a tasty soup is just as nice…
INGREDIENTS (8 serves):
1 chicken
5 chayote
300 g of tofu
10 small cucumbers
2 pieces of ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 chilli, sliced
1 stalk of lemongrass, chopped
Seed oil
Salt and pepper just enough
DIRECTIONS:
Boil the water in a saucepan and add salt, ginger and chicken. Simmer for about 30 minutes, then remove the chicken from the stock and set aside.
In a frying pan add a dash of oil and add the garlic, chilli and lemon grass. Once brown remove from the heat and cool before crushing in a mortar until a fine paste.
Add the paste to the saucepan with the broth and then add tofu, pumpkin and cucumber to the stock. When the veggies start to be soft enough , sprinkle soy sauce and pepper.
Shred the chicken into thin strips and return to the soup.
Serve with a bowl of sticky rice.
TIPS TO OTHER LONGITUDES: They often add a sort of fermented cabbage, similar to sauerkraut.