Oua no mai is known to be a speciality of Luang-Prabang. The stuffed bamboo must first be steamed before being deep fried, which gives a tender heart and a crispy crust.
For 4 people
Ingredients
400 g of bamboo shoots
400 g of ground pork
1 teaspoon of pepper
2 shallots, chopped
4 tablespoons of fish sauce
5 tablespoons of flour
3 beaten eggs
oil for frying
Method
Line up three or four toothpicks in your fingers to form a comb and taper the bamboo shoots, leaving the ends intact. Cook the bamboo for 20 minutes in boiling water to remove the bitterness. Drain and set aside.
In a salad bowl, mix the pork, pepper, shallots and fish sauce.
Stuff the bamboo shoots, making sure to cover the meat with the bamboo strips.
Steam cook for 15 minutes.
Flour the stuffed bamboo shoots, dip in the beaten eggs and fry for 3 minutes in oil at 170°C.
“You can replace the bamboo shoots with lemongrass sprigs (oua sikhai). Lemongrass is tapered with needles or a sharp knife and is not cooked in water beforehand. In this case, the lemongrass is not meant to be eaten -just suck on it like liquorice.”
