Laotian Cuisine

If you are willing to try out different Southeast Asian food but have already had enough of eating (Americanized or authentic) Thai and/or Vietnamese food, look no further than eating Laotian food. Laotian cuisine heavily features rice, vegetables, and freshwater fish. 

If you are willing to go to a restaurant that serves Laotian food, make your way to Lao Der (located at 3922 N Elston Ave) in the Irving Park neighborhood, the only Laotian restaurant in Chicago. When I was at this restaurant, I ordered nam khao (salad) and khao piak sen (noodle soup). At Lao Der, nam khao costs $15.95 and khao piak sen costs $14.95.

The nam khao was a spicy, savory, and crunchy salad. The jasmine, the coconut shreds, and the peanuts added crunch. The red curry paste helped make the salad spicy, and the spiciness level can be adjusted, influencing the amount of the paste used. The green onion and fermented pork tasted savory and brought the flavors to the salad. To make the salad more flavorful, specifically on the tangy part, use the lime. 

The khao piak sen was a comforting and refreshing soup. The chicken meatballs and the shredded chicken pieces tasted tender, and so did the rice noodles. The fried shallots helped make the chicken broth taste more flavorful, affecting the taste of the entire soup. The fried Chinese donuts can be ordered to accompany the soup.

If you decide to cook at home instead of going to Lao Der, you can cook Laotian dishes such as larb (meat salad), khao niao (Laotian sticky rice), and sai oua (pork sausage). 

Nam Khao

Khao Piak Sen

Central Asian Cuisine

If you are willing to try out a different kind of Asian food that you’ve never had in your life, come to eat foods from various Central Asian countries (such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan). Central Asian cuisine in general, heavily features meat (specifically beef, lamb, and chicken), fermented dairy products, flatbreads, and stews.

If you want to savor Central Asian food, make your way to Arzan Cafe (located at 4702 N Kimball Ave) in the Albany Park neighborhood, one of the Central Asian restaurants in Chicago. When I was at this restaurant, I ordered plov (rice dish) and lagman (noodle dish). At Arzan Cafe, plov costs $16.99 and lagman costs $18.49.

The plov was a comforting and savory rice dish. The beef tasted tender, and so did the basmati rice. The chickpeas and the carrots accompanied the taste of the rice itself. The pickles tasted sour and tangy, which brought the flavors to the rice dish. The hard boiled egg was the protein accompaniment besides the beef.

The lağman felt comforting, savory, and refreshing as a soup. The beef tasted tender, and so did the noodles. The vegetables accompanied well with the beef. The broth of the noodle soup helped make the dish taste more flavorful and influenced the flavors of each component. 

If you decide to cook at home instead of going to a Central Asian restaurant like Arzan Cafe, you can cook dishes such as samsa (savory pastry), baursak (fried dough), and chuchvara (dumplings). 

Plov

Lagman

Nepalese Cuisine 

If you are willing to try out different South Asian food but already have enough (Americanized or authentic) Indian food, make your way to eating Nepalese food. Nepalese cuisine heavily features rice, stews, curries, chilies, dairy-based dishes, pickles, chutneys, biryani, kebabs, and various types of bread. 

If you want to trek to a restaurant that serves Nepalese food, make your way to Himalayan Sherpa Kitchen (located at 2701 W Lawrence Ave) in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, one of the Nepalese restaurants in Chicago. When I was at the restaurant, I ordered steamed chicken momos and fried chicken momos. Both steamed and fried chicken momos cost $13.95. There are vegan momos for those that want to crave something vegan. 

The steamed and fried chicken momos tasted savory and flavorful. The fried momos tasted crunchy and the steamed momos tasted tender and juicy.

If you decide to cook at home instead of going to a Nepalese restaurant like Himalayan Sherpa Kitchen, you can cook Nepalese dishes such as momo (dumplings) and dal bhat (rice and lentil soup). 

Fried chicken momos

Steamed chicken momos