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Lao

Or lam

Non-vegetarian

ເອາະຫຼາມ · o lam

A thick, herby stew from Luang Prabang of beef, eggplant and beans, thickened with pounded sticky rice and flavoured with lemongrass, chilli and dill.

Or lam is a Lao stew from Laos, ready in about 1 hour 40 minutes and made with beef chuck, lemongrass and dill. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of Lao or lam stew with meat, herbs and greens
Photo: Jpatokal / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
25 min
Cook
1 h 15 min
Total
1 h 40 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
219

Plus 1 hour soaking for the rice.

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Grill or dry-roast the chillies, shallots (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) until blistered, then pound them coarsely.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Simmer the beef in the water with the lemongrass (opens in a new tab) and pounded aromatics until tender.

  3. Step 3

    Add the eggplant (opens in a new tab), beans and wood ear (opens in a new tab) and simmer until the eggplant is very soft, mashing a few pieces against the pot.

    • 15 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the pounded rice and simmer, stirring, until the stew thickens. Season with fish sauce (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab).

    • 7 min
    • medium-low heat

  5. Step 5

    Take the pot off the stove and stir in the basil (opens in a new tab), dill (opens in a new tab) and spring onion (opens in a new tab) just before serving, so the herbs only just wilt.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Luang Prabang, Laos · Well documentedMore food from Laos
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Stewed, Simmered
Taste
herby, earthy, spicy (chilli heat), savoury
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Low-fat · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Beef chuck · Lemongrass · Dill · Dried whole chillies · Shallot · Garlic
Techniques
Simmering · Stewing · Spice roasting (dry-roasting)

Allergens

  • Contains: Fishfrom fish sauce
  • May contain: Crustaceansfrom fish sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

219 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 573 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 45%
  • Carbohydrate 36%
  • Fat 20%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy219 kcal38 kcal
Protein25.4 g4.4 g
Carbohydrate20.4 g3.6 g
Net carbohydrate15.7 g2.7 g
Sugars5.6 g1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre4.7 g0.8 g
Fat5 g0.9 g
Saturated fat2 g0.3 g
Trans fat0.2 g0 g
Cholesterol64 mg11 mg
Sodium1085 mg189 mg
Salt equivalent2.7 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
882 mg
Calcium
108 mg
Iron
4.6 mg
Magnesium
82 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
60 µg
Vitamin C
14 mg
Vitamin D
0.1 µg
Vitamin B12
2.3 µg
Folate (DFE)
64 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: wood ear mushrooms.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Add the herbs at the very end so they stay green and fragrant.

Common mistakes

  • Adding the rice too early — it catches on the bottom of the pot.

Serve with

  • Serve with sticky rice and jeow.

Food safety

  • Simmer the beef until tender; cool leftovers within 2 hours and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat until piping hot.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days in the fridge; it thickens on standing.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently with a splash of water and add fresh herbs.

Variations

  • Or lam gai: Made with chicken.
  • Vegetable or lam: Use mushrooms and pumpkin and season with soy sauce.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 2, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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