FREE BOOK - The Laotian Cook: Traditional Recipes From Northern Laos

Title:  The Laotian Cook:  Traditional Recipes From Northern Laos - With voices from the smallholder farmers supported by IFAD and GAFSP-funded projects
By:  Camilla Zanzanaini and Ritik Joshi
Lao translation by:  Vinata Sayavong
Publisher, Year:  International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), 2023
Cost:  FREE (download links below)

Image:  Book cover

This book truly does a great deal.  It beautifully encompasses promoting Lao food, the farmers, and IFAD's programs - all in one.

It starts out strong with a with a foreward from Lao-American Chef Saeng Douangdara, who has a huge following on social media.  He specializes in cooking and promoting Lao food to online audiences.

Image:  Chef Saeng

Then it goes into some background on Lao food and in particular some key ingredients used.

Image:  Lao ingredients

In all, the writers gathered 30 recipes from northern Laos to share in this book.

Image:  Bamboo shoot soup

Sprinkled throughout this book are little profiles on the farmers who were grant recipients of the Agriculture for Nutrition (AFN) project.

Image:  Profiled farmer

The book is sumptuously illustrated with both beautiful photos and drawings.  Although whoever did these two graphical aspects wasn't credited in the book.  Whoever you are out there - great work!

Of course, congrats to the entire team who created this book and for making it free to download!

Table of contents

For reference, here is the complete table of contents and page numbers from the book:

• Foreward by Chef Saeng 7
• Essential Lao ingredients 8
• Make your own 9
• Provincial highlights 10
• Nutrient-dense food crops 12
• A typical Laotian meal 14
  
  
• Rice 15
• Sticky rice 16
• Chicken noodle soup 17
• Fried rice 21
• Pork noodle soup 24
• Rice porridge 25
  
  
• Dips 27
• Spicy tomato dip 28
• Smoked eggplant dip 31
• Spicy mushroom dip 32
• Cattle skin chilli 36
• Vegetable dip 38
• Fermented fish chilli 39
  
  
• Soup 41
• Fish curry vermicelli 32
• Fish stew 45
• Bamboo shoot soup 47
• Spicy beef stew 50
• Sour pumpkin soup 53
• Buffalo & taro soup 54
  
  
• Meat/fish 57
• Steamed fish in banana leaf 58
• BBQ grilled chicken 61
• Pork salad 62
• Lao sausage 67
• Fish salad 68
  
  
• Vegetables 69
• Papaya salad 70
• Stir fried greens 73
• Steamed veg salad 74
• Vegetable herb soup 78
  
  
• Bonus 81
• Coconut cakes 83
• Sesame riverweed 84
• Sisovath Phandanouvong 88
• Khangsawanh Sisopha 90
• Project team 92

Download links

This book has been made completely free to download directly from IFAD's website.  It's also available in both Lao and English.  Here are the links:

• English version
• Lao version