Kawniaow
, or sticky rice,
is a staple food in Laos
and an essential part of
any Luang Prabang-style
meal. Known as glutinous
rice for its glue-like
consistency, not because
it contains gluten, sticky
rice has been grown
in Laos for more than
1,200 years. It’s boiled
in a bamboo steamer
and eaten after being
kneaded into a small
ball and formed into the
shape of a spoon-like
scoop. The red- and deep
purple-hued kawniaow
rice found in Luang
Prabang is an heirloom
variety grown organically
by the Hmong hill tribes.
Key
ingredient
