Lao sour bamboo soup is a hearty and delicious soup made with pickled bamboo shoots. For those that have ever been to Laos or Thailand, the smell of bamboo may take you back to the region. Follow this delicious recipe to recreate this amazing dish.
The subtle sourness of pickled bamboo shoots in this Lao sour bamboo stew provides another layer of dimensionality to this dish.
This dish is full of protein, vitamin B1, and vitamin B2.
In our culture, if you are ever having any stomach or gastro pains, this dish is known for relieving them. It's truly a remarkable dish.
The dish I'm going to share with you uses catfish for the protein, but the protein can be substituted work pork and chicken.
Table of Contents
Other Names for Gaeng No Mai (Lao Sour Bamboo Stew)
Like the other recipes on my site, there are so many translations when it comes to the names of Laos dishes. Laos has a totally different written language, so most often, to translate Lao dishes into English, it's almost like a phonetic spelling.
This is often hard because of the variations of phonetic translations, recipes for Lao dishes can be found using a wide variety of multiple search names and terms.
Other Translations for Gaeng No Mai
- keng no mai
- gang gai naw mai
- gang nor mai
- keng no mai
- kaeng jeut nor mai
- kaeng no mai som
- gaeng naw mai sai sin moo (pork version)
- gaeng naw mai som
- gaeng naw mai sai padek
- gaeng nau mai
- keng lao
- gang som no mai dong
The term keng, gang, gaeng, kaeng means stew and soup. The term no mai, nor mai, naw mai, no mai refers to the bamboo shoot. Sin moo means meat of pig (literally). Som means sour.
Other Versions of Gaeng No Mai
The people of Thailand have adapted this recipe and add curry to this recipe. They call this kaeng som for Thai sour curry. It's honestly not the same with the curry, and provides a sweeter taste due to the palm sugar that is used along with the curry.
About Lao Sour Bamboo Stew
Pickled bamboo shoots are delicious and provides a delicious, savory taste with a refreshing crunchiness to the dish. The soup is a clear broth that has cat fish (or any protein really).
While the older generation prefers fish, the new generation in my family loves adding chicken and pork.
Asian Grocer for Ingredients for Gaeng No Mai
Pickled Bamboo Shoots
At your local asian grocer, you should be able to find pickled bamboo shoots, like the image shown below. Bamboo shoots are rich in potassium, low in calories, and meldB-complex group of vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, and pantothenic acid those are essential for optimum cellular, enzymatic and metabolic functions.
Bai Yanang Leaves
If they are in season, you can find bai yanang leaves in the fresh vegetable area. If out of season, check out the refrigerated section to get these leaves. These leaves are popular in northeast Thailand and Laos. These leaves are what make the "sourness" of this stew.
Lao Sour Bamboo Stew Recipe
Ingredients
Stew Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
- 32 ounces of sour bamboo shoots, sliced
- 3 stalks of lemon grass, ends chopped
- 1 pound of catfish, cut into nuggets
- 10 bai yanang leaves (also known as lemon basil)
- 5 roman tomatoes, quartered
- kaffir lime leaves
- 3 tablespoon of fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- ½ tablespoon of MSG (optional)
- 3 green onions, chopped roughly
Paste Ingredients
- 3 Thai birds eye chilis
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 2 shallots
- 3 stalks of lemongrass, chopped
Accompaniments
- sticky rice (traditional serving) or cup of jasmine rice (modern serving)
Steps for Sour Bamboo Stew Recipe
Use a mortar and pestle to pulverize the Thai chilis, garlic, shallots, and lemon grass into a paste.
Add some cooking oil into a pot and add in the paste. Stir it around until its aromatic.
Next, add in the lemon leaves and 3 stalks of lemon grass.
Add in the catfish, and stir for a few minutes. Next, add boiling water into the pot to fill it. Bring it to a boil.
Next add in fish sauce, MSG, and salt.
Rinse the bamboo shoots in warm water to rinse. Add it into the pot. Stir it up.
Note: If you use fish, you don't want to mix it too much.
Bring it down to medium low and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes.
Add in the roman tomatoes. Allow it to simmer for another 5 minutes.
How is Lao Sour Bamboo Soup Served (Gaeng No Mai)
Gaeng no mai is served as the main dish in a small bowl with a side of sticky rice. You can also serve it with jasmine rice if you don't have sticky rice handy.
Yield: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Delicious sour bamboo stew that is a Lao authentic stew dish with lots of versatile flavors.
Ingredients
Stew Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
- 32 ounces of sour bamboo shoots, sliced
- 3 stalks of lemon grass, ends chopped
- 1 pound of catfish, cut into nuggets
- 10 bai yanang leaves (also known as lemon basil)
- 5 roman tomatoes, quartered
- 6 kaffir lime leaves
- 3 tablespoon of fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- ½ tablespoon of MSG (optional)
- 3 green onions, chopped roughly
Paste Ingredients
- 3 Thai birds eye chilis
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 2 shallots
- 3 stalks of lemongrass, chopped
Accompaniments
- sticky rice (traditional serving) or cup of jasmine rice (modern serving)
Instructions
- Use a mortar and pestle to pulverize the Thai chilis, garlic, shallots, and lemon grass into a paste.
- Add some cooking oil into a pot and add in the paste. Stir it around until its aromatic.
- Next, add in the lemon leaves and 3 stalks of lemon grass.
- Add in the catfish, and stir for a few minutes. Next, add boiling water into the pot to fill it. Bring it to a boil.
- Next add in fish sauce, MSG, and salt.
- Rinse the bamboo shoots in warm water to rinse. Add it into the pot. Stir it up.
- Note: If you use fish, you don't want to mix it too much.
- Bring it down to medium low and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add in the roman tomatoes. Allow it to simmer for another 5 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 422Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 2227mgCarbohydrates: 43gFiber: 5gSugar: 8gProtein: 27g
Summary
Gaeng no mai is a delicious dish that can be made anytime of year! It's the stew of Lao, often referred to as Lao Gaeng.
Lao sour bamboo soup is absolutely hearty, delicious, and versatile!
Other Seafood Posts You Might Like
- Best Kaeng Kari Kai Curry Yellow Chicken
- Steamed Whole Fish
- Vietnamese Pork and Crab Noodle Soup
- Tom Yum Shrimp and Chicken
- Thai Squid Salad
- Overnight Marinade for Asian Fried Quail
Let me help you out! I'll send you a free shopping list to your email inbox that will help you navigate your next visit.
Sign up now to open up a whole new world of flavor!
