Welcome to Food from Northern Laos. The aim of our site is to promote the food and cultural diversity of Northern Laos by sharing information on its cuisine including recipes, local ingredients and their substitutes, preparation and cooking techniques. We also promote and market the unique cookbook Food from Northern Laos: The Boat Landing Cookbook, published by our New Zealand company, Galangal Press.
Introducing Dorothy Culloty and Kees Sprengers
Dorothy Culloty
Since 2002 I have been documenting northern Lao food preparation, Lao ingredients, and Lao recipes, which has culminated in the book “Food from Northern Laos: The Boat Landing Cookbook”. Prior to this I produced 9 postcards of Lao recipes as a trial to show local people what I was doing and assembled a Lao (phoetics and Lao script) and English guide to the vegetables of Laos.
BL (Before Laos) I had an extensive professional background in public sector human resource and organisational change management in New Zealand and also worked for international consultancies in change management and career counselling. But I got tired and disenchanted with working with large organisations and the stress wrought on staff by repeated restructuring. It was also getting increasingly difficult to manage a case load of clients and make regular trips to Laos to do what I really wanted to do: Lao food anthropology and the promotion of Lao food and Lao recipes in the West. Kees, my husband, also loved Laos and had his own passionate interest: photography. So in 2004 we rented the house to friends and moved to Lao PDR as volunteers with New Zealand’s VSA (Volunteer Service Abroad) supported by NZAid. My role was training and publications advisor for the Rural Research and Development Training Centre, in Vientiane. The three and a half year assignment rapidly grew into a wider management coaching and mentoring role. It was fun, and constructive work with wonderful people. Throughout that period Kees and I continued to make trips to Luang Namtha documenting food and ethnic religious ceremonies. We now live in Thailand by the beach and visit Lao PDR regularly, promoting our cookbook, adding to our information on Lao food and cultures and working on the next project.
Kees Sprengers
I worked for 14 years as the photographer for the Waikato Museum of Art and History in New Zealand and then branched out into social issues (that’s another story). Since 2002 I have focused on photo documentary in Lao PDR, specializing in portraiture, cultural change in rural and village life and the religious ceremonies of minority groups in the province of Luang Namtha. I regularly photograph cultural assignments for the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center in Luang Prabang. Publications include “Contemporary Maori Art” written by Katarina Mataira, nine postcards for TEAC and nine postcards documenting recipes of Northern Laos. I am represented in the collections of Waikato Museum of Art and History, Auckland City Art Gallery, and TEAC, have had solo exhibitions in Hamilton, Auckland, Bangkok and Vientiane and been part of group exhibitions in New Zealand and the USA. My photography websites are: Kees Sprengers – Ethnic Diversity in Luang Namtha – Laos and Luang Namtha documentary project.
Food from Northern Laos 
I’m buying six copies asap. Well done! BB
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Dear wmb,
If you cannot find it in your bookshop yet, you could contact White Lotus Books directly for your order, they have stock. Thank you for your comment.
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Congratulations! A beautiful, lively, informative website. The quest for the right book cover ended superbly. Dying to see the book. What a labour of love!
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Congatulations. A labour of love come to fruition.
Your excellent website will be enjoyed by many.
I am looking forward to my copy of the book.
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Congatulations. Excelleent, I am very much looking forward to have a copy of the cook book.
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Hi Dad and Dotty,
Yay it is finally here. i am so looking forward to seeing a copy of the book and of course having Dorothy here to cook my Favourite for me. Love you both and congratulations its been a labour of love…xxx Your Kids and Grandkids xxoo
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I’m a lao american! born and raised in california. So I dont really cook much lao food! But i do hope to see this book in the states!
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Hi Stephanie,
It IS in the states, available on Amazon!
http://www.amazon.com/Food-Northern-Laos-Landing-Cookbook/dp/0473172364/ref=cm_rna_own_review_prod
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nice picture. Accurate pronunciation. keep on the good work.
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I’d like to start out by saying, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. My father is of Khmu decent and my mother is from Xieng Khouang Province, Laos. I was born in San Diego, California. As long as I’ve been able to read and do simple arithmetic, my mother has taught me the art of Lao cooking. Recording her recipes has always been something I’ve kept on the back burner but have never taken the time to complete. I recently purchased your cookbook, “Food From Nothern Laos,” from Amazon.com and it is absolutely amazing to see the dishes I grew up eating, recorded in the English language. I know for a fact that I will treasure this book until the day I die and I will certainly pass it on to my niece when she is older. Thank you so much. With that said, it’s been a week since I’ve had the book and I am presently reading it. I truly enjoy the background information and your adventures seem absolutely beautiful! I’ve read up to page 43 and I’ve noticed a spelling mistake in the Lao writing of, “bpaa kaang/bpaa yaang kwan fai.” The s’rah-aah has been misplaced. Instead of being in the word for “bpaa kaang” it should appear in the word “yaang” of “bpaa yaang kwan fai.” I am sure that it is a typo and just a little mistake. I wanted to point that out if it matters at all. I’ll keep you posted if I see anything else but so far so good! Thank you so much again! I can’t say that enough :) Kawp jai lai lai dur!
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Thank you so much for your praise, we are very humbled by it and it delights us to know that families that have left Laos are getting use from the book. That was our key desire. When prospective publishers advised us to take the Lao out and “dumb it down” we said no way and published ourselves to maintain it’s integrity. We are also delighted for your feedback on Lao spelling and will include it in our next edition of the book. I have already amended the file. We love Khmu and Khmu traditions especially the feasts. No one can cook fish like Khmu. Saep lai!
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I am so grateful that you maintained the integrity of the book and did NOT take out the Lao. Actually, I’ve recently bought a second Lao cookbook and I find it so disappointing that it is completely in English. Food is more than food. Food is language, culture, tradition, history and to call food by any other name in any other language other that that of its origin, is to take out the very heart and soul of the recipe. As I read your book, I am so impressed that you have so eloquently and respectably given the Lao people, our culture, our food, and our language the recognition it deserves.
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I’d also like to add, the “distinction” it deserves as most people I know would only compare it to Thai or Cambodian cuisine. There IS a difference and I think you’ve done a great job at getting the essence of Lao cooking that makes it very unique!
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I’ll be in Luang Prabang in January, is the book for sale there?
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Available at the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre (TAEC) on the side of Phusi mountain, next to Dara market, and at Monument Books. Also at Big Tree Cafe, on the riverbank, and at Tamarind, a great authentic restaurant.
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