Or Lam Luang Prabang Stew with Sakhan, Smoked Beef and Pea Eggplant

By AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-10-12 · Updated 2026-10-12

A thick, herbal stew from Luang Prabang, made with dried smoked beef, eggplant and yardlong beans. It gets its tongue-tingling bite from sakhan pepper wood and is thickened with pounded sticky rice. This Asian recipe, ready in about 105 minutes, pairs beef chuck, cut into 2 cm cubes, glutinous (sticky) rice, soaked 2 hours, Thai round eggplants, quartered for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 420 calories and feeds 4, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 150 g dried smoked beef (or beef jerky), torn into strips
• 300 g beef chuck, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 4 sakhan (Lao chili wood), cut into 5 cm pieces
• 3 tbsp glutinous (sticky) rice, soaked 2 hours
• 4 Thai round eggplants, quartered
• 1/2 cup pea eggplants
• 150 g yardlong beans, cut into 5 cm lengths
• 100 g oyster mushrooms, torn
• 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised and cut into 5 cm lengths
• 4 shallots, peeled
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 fresh bird's eye chilies
• 2 tbsp padaek (Lao fermented fish sauce)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 cups ivy gourd leaves or baby spinach
• 1 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1.5 liters water

The Dutch oven we’d braise this in → Best Dutch Ovens for 2026: Top Picks + Buying Guide

Instructions

1. Step 1: Char the shallots, garlic and chilies in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until blistered, 5-6 minutes. Pound them into a coarse paste with a mortar and pestle.
2. Step 2: Drain the soaked sticky rice and pound it into a rough paste. Set it aside.
3. Step 3: In a large pot, bring the water to a boil with the lemongrass and sakhan pieces. Add the beef chuck and smoked beef, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, until the chuck is starting to get tender.
4. Step 4: Stir in the charred aromatic paste, padaek and fish sauce. Add the round eggplants and simmer for 10 minutes, until they are soft enough to mash. Press a few pieces against the side of the pot to help thicken the stew.
5. Step 5: Add the yardlong beans, pea eggplants and oyster mushrooms. Stir in the pounded sticky rice a little at a time so it doesn't clump, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the stew turns thick and glossy.
6. Step 6: Stir in the ivy gourd leaves and cook for 2 minutes, until they wilt. Taste and add more fish sauce if needed.
7. Step 7: Take the pot off the heat and fold in the dill, Thai basil and green onions. Remove the sakhan before eating, since it is for flavor only. Serve hot with steamed sticky rice.