After the ubiquitous chillie, the most important ingredient in Lao cuisine is smoke.
Combine the two and the result is culinary alchemy, infusing dishes with spice and deep charred flavours. Grilling over charcoal is an essential technique and is commonly used when preparing shallots, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms, galangal, and lemongrass before adding them to jaew dips, soups and curries.