How to Cook Lao Food Like A Pro with Jeannie Ongkeo

Besides asking mom.

Anne Noyes Saini and Mark Rinaldi took time out to visit Mangez Avec Moi in Tribeca and learn from chef Jeannie Ongkeo the principles and joys of Lao cooking. You can see the full article over at Serious Eats.

Mangez Avec Moi is located at 71-73 West Broadway in New York City between Warren and Murray Streets. They bill themselves as authentic pan Asian cuisine, which is understandable given that Lao food isn't really on the radar of many New Yorkers yet beyond the Khe-Yo.

I'd take issue with the assertion that "Food like hers is rare in the U.S. outside a few small cities like Des Moines, where Lao communities have slowly grown since the 1970s and 1980s." You can certainly find Lao restaurants in Garden Grove, Sacramento, Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Diego, Fresno, Seattle and the like. But this article was written by New Yorkers, so we'll let that slide.

One of her favorite dishes to make is Or Lam, and definitely a dish few Lao restaurants present on a regular basis. If you get a chance, it's most likely a dish to try. Chef Ongkeo's brother owns the restaurant. Here's to many more years of success for them!

It's good and refreshing to see Lao entrepreneurs taking a chance after 40 years in the US to present Lao cooking to a wider audience.

As long as it doesn't suddenly drive the price of Tom Mak Hoong to $10 for a half-plate or something.