The bonus of doing a lot of food photography is that you get to eat your work. Last night’s home cooked trio of Lao dishes was so damn good that I cut the shoot short and dig in.

Gaeng het, a Lao-style mushroom curry is one of my all-time favourites. It is actually more of a stew than a curry and uses the ubiquitous pla daek fermented fish for flavour, cha om, the immature and rather pungent shoots of the acacia tree, handfuls of wild mushrooms, plenty of fresh chillies and herbs. It’s silky texture is obtained by adding soaked and pounded sticky rice to help thicken it. Cooked well, it’s a sensational dish.

An ideal accompaniment is goy pla, similar to a larb, made using Mekong river fish, a liberal amount of mint, roasted and ground sticky rice, shallots, lemongrass, chillies and lime juice. Extra vegetables are always welcome at the Lao table. Ready in a couple of minutes, fresh and crisp pak choi stir-fried with oyster sauce, garlic and chillies is a great addition to a healthy and delicious meal.