Photos

Somewhere in the Laos stretch of the majestic Mekong, a river weed grows. Some call it a moss. The locals call it khai paen. Even though Laos is tightly landlocked, this local speciality is usually referred to as seaweed on the restaurant menus in Luang Prabang.

It gets eaten dried and fried with sesame seeds. It's a great side dish, but can also function as a drink snack. It's great with Lao beer.

This picture was taken at the Big Tree restaurant, one of the many, many tourist restaurants in Luang Prabang. Its riverside setting and the great local food made it one of our favourites.

Yummy!

Note: Laos riverweed is not nori (Japanese seaweed), though there are similarities in the sense that sheets of the stuff are flat and dark green. It is sturdier and thicker than the delicate brittle dryness of its Japanese counterpart.