24 Hours of Eating Bizarre Laos Street Food!!

hey besties right now I'm in the country of Lebanon and I want to say a huge thank you to the sponsor of this video better help let's dive into a topic that's truly close to my heart and my brain mental health in today's fast-paced world it's all too common to feel weighed down by stress anxiety and even burnout I've been there myself and I know how tough it is to struggle with negative feelings that's why I am honored to partner with today's sponsor Better Health Better Health is the world's largest therapy service and it's 100 online with better help you can tap into a network of over 30 000 licensed and experienced therapists who can help you with a wide range of issues to get started just answer a few questions about your therapy needs and preferences and they'll match you with a qualified therapist from their Network then you can communicate with your therapist through your preferred method whether it's text chat phone or video call plus you can message your therapist at any time 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chronetic action and building skywards as it becomes more and more modern still in the streets and Alleyways you'll find traditional street food stalls with offerings ranging from the delicious yeah that's really good to the downright dangerous and these pugs sting you or bite you or hurt you today my friend Gia and I are here to immerse ourselves in Laotian food culture no matter how extreme it may get one more I don't know man it all starts here foreign thanks man meet here bang among American Chef born in a Thai refugee camp who now calls Minnesota home this trip is a chance for him to experience food and culture in the country his parents called home I'm excited to have you here we worked together initially in Minnesota I got to see and experience Hmong food in Minneapolis but today our focus is street food in this city yes in the heart of Laos there's a dish that embodies the very essence of this vibrant Nation a dish we've come to try here at Auntie chits a tantalizing street food Eatery with clay pots packed with powerful flavors each one part of a combination of spices that will give your taste buds a knockout punch this right here is a bowl of you know the name long way we say should we dive in yeah let's do this I'm so excited dude veggies coriander and bean sprouts vermicelli noodles and bits of sliced organ meats and sliced liver all come together in Perfect Harmony the rich broth made from boiled pork bones and skin is topped off with fresh coriander and herbs don't mind can we try to do like certain body parts together yeah I need the food right now yeah us okay I think we should start right here with the blood cake Cheers Cheers bro [Music] um that's a good butt cake it was really good it's just an explosion of savoriness the texture is so good I'm weird because I like that little irony taste to it yeah that one it mixes with this incredibly Savory broth it's so delicious oh it's so heartwarming I'm back in Southeast Asia maybe it's hard to explain except for it's just a deep delicious savoriness I'm pretty sure there's bones in there to get that rich umness can we go this yeah that's like intestine right that's more of the end part of the intestines you know what I'm talking about oh I love it dude oh my God I can't believe how soft these intestines are at our restaurant we just call this the good good you know which wild is this dish right here is about two bucks it's mind-blowing you know what I was thinking too if you had too many adult drinks the night before this is the best in the morning hangover cure yeah growing up do you ever have something like this for breakfast we actually did my mom and dad say would you like the American way which is like your eggs rice whatever the American way you know eggs and rice it's like the Hmong American way you know yeah yeah yeah before we leave this restaurant chicken feet these chicken feet or Phoenix claws are braised for hours until their scaly skin becomes soft [Music] oh man it's a great drinking food because it takes time you have to gnaw at it but it's full of flavor like this has a deep delicious spiciness it's like a glowing heat in your mouth oh this thing's amazing initially you were actually born in Southeast Asia I was born in a refugee camp it was called 10 kilometers off of the Lao Thai border our family lived there till 88 and we left to Minnesota actually but you haven't been back since yep so why do you want to join me on this trip my parents always talk about home I think it's really good for me to go and see where I'm from and discovering you know all these things that I've only heard in stories now I can actually experience it well we have a lot of experiences in front of us some that are going to be fun and make you reflect and make you maybe nostalgic and some that might be not so comfortable I'm excited brother soon our lotion food tour will take us to some of this country's most remote villages oh my gosh but to start we're better than laos's Capital nestled along the Meandering Mekong River the NTN effortlessly Blends a rich history with a dash of modernity a city where the warmth of its people is matched only by the tantalizing Aroma of its street food food here has influences from Thai and Vietnamese to French and Chinese and around every turn there's a new culinary surprise like that which awaits us at our next destination this washing salad is made with minced meat that's often served for raw and then put together we go poop I'm sorry put it together with one uh I know how to [ __ ] called that one with the bile right yeah the bile this is the Indian native Mina and today she'll be helping us connect with the locals but where's the bile coming from is the owner of the street side lob Eatery in The Car Store bile or kiyong roughly translates to Soft Poo this often discarded digestive fluid is a coveted cooking ingredient in this country if our first location was comfort food I would consider this discomfort food our lob today starts with raw beef trimmed then laboriously minced by hand once ready it's mixed with boiled tripe and sliced liver now for the flavor chili powder rice powder MSG fish sauce gastric acid and green bile for a burst of freshness we've got bean sprouts coriander and mint garnish with pieces of raw stomach cheers [Music] it's all bitter as I chew it and work it out it slowly disappears it does start bittering but it was well balanced with the other ingredients they put inside of it I love that that texture the heat oh yeah beautiful spices there is this base of bitterness very apparent definitely is that said not something I would eat every week no this is a specialty thing and it's kind of like a symbol of luckiness does this taste similar to love you grew up eating yes minus the bile so how is that for you having that punch of bitterness it's not like my first go-to but I'm not mad at it right here this is not lob but it is Marv's less refined cousin it's made by slicing the same raw beef and liver into uncomfortably large chunks then tossing them with fresh coriander and mint into a piece of raw stomach think of it like a buffalo Sashimi roll it looks like a little mouth it does this doesn't have all those seasonings and liquids added in it said we have to dip it right here ourselves this right here is a delightful dipping sauce made of Schmidt here's how it works Buffalo bile is produced in the cow's liver then secreted into the first section of the small intestine that sauce of the Gods is extracted but not quite ready to consume so it's gonna be a mixture of digestive juices along with whatever the cow was eating We're not gonna eat this raw the intestinal contents are boiled then filtered to remove any impure but you're still eating essentially cooked poop all right I'm gonna give it a generous tip man cheers wow man that will wake you up in the morning it is just such a powerful punch of flavor The Lime Leaf is what really protects that bile from being like bioe you know that bitterness is balanced with the freshness of these leaves but it's just like adding intensity to intensity growing up the most iconic dish that my father ever made is Lop so like for me trying lob this way it's a little different than the way the dad did it but it's still very homecoming welcoming to me I'm good oh it's Modern Age it's best not to bring your work home with you but our next Fearless food vendor just can't help it we're entering the home of vntn's Premier bug seller here she's preparing bowls of exotic offerings that will soon go to market meet Miss sundoon man good day do you know what's so cool as we showed up she had just shaken these ant eggs out of this tree no way yeah how long have you had an answer Tree in your backyard this year is the first time that she collected oh wow like that's so interesting this must be five six pounds of pure ant eggs with a handful of ticked off ants still running around trying to figure out what went wrong I know they were like this is some kind of a natural disaster or a global warming climate change you deserve that here take away it smells like a roasted peanuts these are stink bugs really yeah if you mix it and mash it it will have the very nice smell these are probably familiar tails what are they these are the pupa of the cicada finally these are cicadas so where do you find these in the night time and then collect it from the leaves so they have to shine them that's right that's what we do with the kangaroo in Australia they were there in the trees though no but you have to shine them right here we have some cicadas that you just grilled to make this dish first she removes the cicada's wings then she adds her simple straightforward seasoning blend pork powder MSG and salt skewer them up and Grill them over charcoal for a Crispy Crunchy treat that's a beautiful color of a roasting on it I don't care I'm sorry you don't have one have you ever had this before [Music] um I can't remember oh fantastic I have a feeling you'll remember this time that being said let's try it out [Music] it's not gushy but it has like a little bit of sweet moisture inside almost like a smoky corn flavor what do you think it tastes like she said it doesn't taste good do you see the hesitation was real is it the Coke or is it the ingredient or is it just your personal preference nah she doesn't like it personally I like it because it has everything it has that sweetness it has a smokiness it has textural crunch this will be so good with the beer Lao that's what I love how many different types of bugs do you sell yeah it depends on the season and then for this season it will be like skeda and with the stink box and honeycomb Miss samay dude doesn't just Source bugs from her garden but from all around the country usually that's we get it from and also in these bugs are carefully collected and shipped to her by plane by plane every day after preparing her buggy Bounty our gracious grub wielding host brings her offerings here to Nong Yang Market this Maze of dimly lit tables is sensory overload a riot of colors with earthy red chili peppers vibrant fruits and lush green vegetables showcasing the treasures of lausch and soil the Aromas are dizzier some pleasant and some not so pleasant among the Hockers and vendors Miss sumdum is the only one offering bug species from around the country the number and type of insects offered vary depending on the season kind of like truffles another bug that's right here encased within this bamboo what is it these are called Magic bugs I'm not sure why they call them that magic box also known as stink bugs are considered an exotic dish in many parts of the world because their punch and odor often deters people from trying them but no odor has ever stopped me each tube has about eight to ten bugs many of them are still alive I know because they're moving yeah right it's a great indicator of Life can these pugs sting you or bite you or hurt you know what we're doing next we're pouring live bugs onto our fermented veggies and then we're eating them I'm told these have a strong distinctive taste is that right especially for male bucks the test is similar to Wasabi but this is a female one it tastes very sweet oh you ready yeah let's do it oh cinnamon oh it's a strong flavor yeah that's really good it's like a perfume I tasted through my nostrils like right up here oh I sure will go it stings a little bit but it's like a brief moment of Sting that is one of the most stunning unique tastes I've ever experienced in my life this thingy goodbye yeah that's the male one right yeah that's right got a dude no kidding I'm so fascinated by this because this requires marketing how do you educate people here from the beginning they wonder about oh what this kind of bamboo shoot and then she explained to them and also telling them what they should eat big like Victor fermented veggie one of the things that's super amazing about this table is most people's tables and stalls they're like shoeing the bug away here it's normal yeah what the heck there's a fly on my bum this is the honeycomb this may look familiar but it doesn't contain any honey and it's certainly not sweet it's sticky it's gooey and you can see the pupa inside oh damn this is a brood cone the place where the queen lays her eggs and where they develop into larva this stranded larva and their home is wrapped in a Banana Leaf then grilled over an open flame so there's something waxy here if I take a bite do I need to spit out the wax so you just take a big bite and swallow the whole thing that's right oh okay it's sour it's like weirdly chewy there's little popping pupils how do you like it and it's not my you know favorite dude if you don't like it just say you don't like it is this something you like come on yeah see that's what I love about this lady she's so honest because early on she was like she said it doesn't taste good even though she sells it after eating live bugs I'm on the surge for one more food that could finally pluck yeah out of his comfort zone and plant him in his new reality here in Laos something tells me I found the right place [Music] we have come to our final location this is a duck Restaurant They're specializing in all things duck and let me tell you they use every part of the body once you select the dunk they will ask you if you want the blood or not if you do they will make a special dish made from fresh duck blood that is served completely raw that's what we're gonna be trying in just a moment here but first I need to pick a duck oh I like that one every duck sacrificed here is utilized in its entirety from its head to its webbed feet but the most coveted consumable calories come from the blood head I'm good with this is new you've had this before you know right yeah and did you enjoy it this is very good it tastes nice but first we have roasted duck right here the duck is boiled cleaned butchered and grilled over hot coals and paired with pungent sauces and fresh herbs this morning we started with chicken feet now grilled duck feet yeah let's do it can we get a high five yeah cheers it still has the fingernail on there oh I love that you know why why I hope you pick stuff out of your routine that's a great point the best part about eating the duck meat of course is like this leathery skin between each toe oh yeah it's like fried chips it has a great texture to it this is very different from what we had this morning I can see why this is incredible drinking food come here drink about 15 gigantic beers and then chill this is like communal style Southeast Asian dining that I love and I treasure and the feet are not enough for you they have this right here the head oh the duck tongue yeah I got half a tongue on mine that's where it's about this is really good tool right here we have our blood dish by now it kind of coagulated what's interesting is it's not just the blood that's right it's starting from the beginning when they slaughter are dark the blood of the freshly soldered animal is mixed with water and fish sauce preventing it from coagulating too quickly but any good blood Jello is gonna need some fillings here it'll be in the form of fried skin meat and organs so that they have like liver in that and also some of the insistence in a separate pool they mix blood with water so they have the ratio of this one bowl of blood to two bowls of water if you mix it right then you can get the blood clot like this that mixture is poured over the meat finally garnish with lemongrass mint coriander peanuts and shallots and allow descent over the next few minutes so when you look at this is there anything about this dish that's intimidating to you I think it's just the blood itself well we did have blood this morning I'm weird because I like that little irony taste to it it's cooked it's a blood cake this is a lot less cakey a lot more jelloy I think we should just dig into it yeah I'm gonna hit it with a little bit of lime I think you just want to get as many chunks as possible oh that has some drippy Parts oh Cheers Cheers oh yeah fried shallots crunchy organ means super crunchy peanuts right away when you put in your mouth it's like a really gentle Jello that almost liquefies immediately not a very bloody taste to it yeah because when I think of blood I think of that very iron metallic taste and that's what I was really nervous about it's half texture and a half flavor because the herbs in here it's so aromatic you just taste it through your nose is it the taste or the texture that's getting to you my brain goes right to like the bloody nose you know football helmet and that's all I can think of right now while eating that even though the flavor is awesome I mean you hardly touch your blood no I didn't okay I'm pretty good stop bullying me fascinating to me it's the biggest city in the country this is like the Metropolis for Laos what are people usually doing at night time sometimes we have like restaurants and then they might go out doing Friday nights meet with their friends and also us find some other food food music drinking these are Universal things one of the questions I keep thinking about is for you personally like what is your hope for being together I think I want to see some change but then somehow I also want to see some of the slow life now we stand to see that people are rushing all the times but then somehow they also forget about what they have right now or where they came from that's right elevate your style with our brand new clothing collection rock out in our threads feel the thrill of culinary adventures and celebrate with us in style head on over to beffers.shop today it's more like the more veggie yeah I know that's what the moment I smell it it smells like my mom you know my mom makes this all the time okay I tell you something or uh the way we eat it it's gonna be pretty different from your mom's can you get your hands on that in Minnesota the short answer is yes but I can't divulge how we you know figure out the back you know alley channels to do that you said you wanted to say that time and so do you give people free taste tests boom guys that is the end of video one here in Laos as you may have guessed we're not in the NTN anymore we wandered into the country I want to say a huge thank you to a man eobank right thanks for bringing me bro you can you can follow Chef uvang right here on Instagram and get a glimpse of his media entertainment life and also culinarian yeah otherwise guys that is it for this one thank you so much for watching I will see you next time I kind of figure it out after I watch it I'm gonna get caught in them there's a two-wheeled tractor that leaves at eight four wheel where's the

Channel: Best Ever Food Review Show

Views: 1,094,403

Keywords: Best ever food review show, befrs, sonny side, befrs team, food, around the world food and culture, laos, laostian food, asian food, extreme food, tribal food, south east asian food, CLAY POT KHAO POON, LAAD, SOI JOUK, CICADA SKEWER, MAGIC BUG, stink bug, BEE HONEYCOMB LARVAE

Id: MulEF7sRBj4

Length: 20min 32sec (1232 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 30 2023