BASICS - The Rough Guide to Laos - page 58

coconut meat and coconut milk. Also popular are light Chinese doughnuts , fried in a skillet
full of oil and known as khào nõm khu or pá thawng ko , and another fried delight, crispy ba-
nanas ( kûay khaek ).
Sticky rice, of course, also turns up in a few desserts. As mangoes begin to ripen in March,
look for khào niaw màk muang , sliced mango splashed with coconut cream served over sticky
rice; those who don't mind the smell of durian can try the durian variant on this dessert. Khào
lãm , another treat, this one popular during the cool season, is cooked in sections of bamboo,
which is gradually peeled back to reveal a tube of sticky rice and beans joined in coconut
cream. Another thing to look out for at street stalls is kanom krok - delicious, soft little pan-
cakes made with rice flour and coconut.
Soft drinks and juices
Brand-name soft drinks , such as 7-Up, Coca-Cola and Fanta, are widely available. Most
vendors pour the drink into a small plastic pouch packet (which is then tied with a string or
rubber band and inserted with a straw) for taking away.
A particularly refreshing alternative, available in most towns with tourist restaurants, are
fruit shakes ( màk mâi pan ), made from your choice of fruit, blended with ice, liquid sugar
and condensed milk. Even more readily available are freshly squeezed fruit juices , such as
lemon ( nâm màk nao ), plus coconut water ( nâm màk phao ) enjoyed directly from the fruit
after it has been dehusked and cut open. Also popular is the exceptionally sweet sugar-cane
juice, nâm oi .
Hot drinks
Laos's best coffee is grown on the Bolaven Plateau, outside Paksong in southern Laos, where
it was introduced by the French in the early twentieth century. Most of the coffee produced
is robusta, although some arabica is grown as well. Quality is generally very high, and the
coffee has a rich, full-bodied flavour. Some establishments that are accustomed to foreigners
may serve instant coffee ( kafeh net , after the Lao word for Nescafé, the most common brand);
if you want locally grown coffee ask for kafeh Láo or kafeh thông , literally “bag coffee”, after
the traditional technique of preparing the coffee.
Traditionally, hot coffee is served with a complimentary glass of weak Chinese tea or hot
water, to be drunk in between sips of the very sweet coffee, though you're unlikely to experi-
ence this in many places. If you prefer your coffee black, and without sugar, order kafeh dam
baw sai nâm tan . A perfect alternative for the hot weather is kafeh yén , in which the same
concoction is mixed with crushed ice.
Black and Chinese-style tea are both served in Laos. Weak Chinese tea is often found, luke-
warm, on tables in restaurants and can be enjoyed free of charge. Stronger Chinese tea ( sá
jin ) you'll need to order. If you request sá hâwn , you usually get a brew based on local or