Lao Soop Pak | Lao Sesame Vegetable Salad
Soop Pak is one of Northern Laos’ most beloved vegetable dishes for its bold, aromatic sesame vegetable salad packed with fresh greens, toasted sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, and spicy peppers. This version combines napa cabbage, morning glory, bok choy, yam vine, and mushrooms, all blanched and mixed with a deeply flavorful padaek dressing. It’s earthy, spicy, savory, and naturally nutritious. Whether you’re exploring Lao cuisine for the first time or recreating your favorite flavors from home, this Soop Pak recipe delivers authentic taste with simple, everyday ingredients. Perfect as a side dish, a light meal, or a shareable platter for any Lao food lover.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 16 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 cups Napa cabbage
- 2 cups morning glory
- 2 cups long bok choy
- 2 cups yam vine
- 2 cups wood ear mushrooms
- 1 bundle enoki mushrooms
- 3 oz ginger, sliced
- 5 oz shallots, chopped
- 2 oz whole garlic cloves
- 4 fresh peppers
- 2 dried peppers
- 2 tbsp water
- ⅓ cup sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp padaek
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ½ tbsp MSG or chicken bouillon
Instructions
- 1
Prep the vegetables and mushrooms. Wash everything thoroughly. Cut the vegetables into 3-inch pieces and halve any thick stems. Cut the wood ear mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Trim the tough base off the enoki and separate the strands.
- 2
Blanch the vegetables. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add all the vegetables and mushrooms and blanch for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer immediately to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain well.
- 3
Char the aromatics. In a dry pan over high heat, sauté the ginger, shallots, garlic, and peppers for 10–15 minutes until lightly charred. If the peppers darken quickly, remove them early so they don’t burn.
- 4
Near the end, add 2 tbsp water to help soften any firm garlic or shallots. Cover and steam for about 2 minutes, or until a fork pierces the garlic easily.
- 5
Make the aromatic paste. In a mortar, pound the charred ginger first until it becomes a paste. Add the remaining aromatics and peppers and pound into a rough paste. Take your time to crush everything thoroughly so there are no large chunks.
- 6
Mix the vegetables. Add about 2 pounds of the blanched vegetables and mushrooms to a large mixing bowl. Add the aromatic paste, then the padaek, fish sauce, and MSG. Mix until everything is evenly coated.
- 7
Toast and crush the sesame seeds. In a dry iron skillet, toast the sesame seeds over high heat for a few seconds until fragrant and lightly golden. Transfer to a mortar and crush into a coarse powder.
- 8
Finish the dish. Add the crushed sesame seeds to the vegetable mixture and toss well. Plate and garnish with extra sesame seeds. Serve immediately.