Ms Viengkham Nanthavongdouangsy seen with officials from the Lao Handicrafts Association after the competition.

Khao Tom Phat Contest celebrates Lao dessert at Lancang-Mekong international food exposition

The “Khao Tom Phat Contest”, organised to popularise of the oldest desserts of Laos, was one of the highlights of the Lancang-Mekong International Food Exposition held in Vientiane last month.
Ms Viengkham Nanthavongdouangsy, the Vice President of the Lao Handicraft Association (LHA) and founder and of the Khang Brand, told Vientiane Times the contest was organised by the association along with the Hotel and Restaurant Association as part of efforts to promote traditional foods and desserts. In the near future, food products will be officially made the eighth handicrafts section of the LHA, she said.
 Khao Tom Phat is one of the oldest food items of Laos. The main ingredient is sticky rice, which is mixed with coconut milk, salt and sugar. The mixture  is heated and stirred in a saucepan.
When this mixture is ready, individual portions are stuffed with a preparation of black or yellow beans or a slice of banana, and then wrapped tightly in banana leaves before being cooked again by steaming or by boiling.
Ten teams applied to participate in the contest, and the five best teams were shortlisted to demonstrate their skills on stage, in front of a jury of six members and the audience.
The jury included two members from the Hotel and Restaurant Association, and one member each from the Khounkha Lao Association (SKL), the Department of Trade Promotion under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and the Pakpasak Vocational School, while Ms Viengkham represented the LHA.
The winning team had three members, and was called “Bai Tong On”, meaning the “Young Banana Leaf”. This name was adopted because all the members were 17-year-old students. The winning team was selected on the basis of three criteria – taste, creativity and presentation.
 “We won this Khao Tom Contest using the same ingredients as our mothers. We help them make this dessert all the time. These ingredients have been handed down from generation to generation in our families,” said Pakai Rung Keomany, one of the members of the Bai Tong On team.
 Nook Sisombat, a member of the board of the Hotel and Restaurants Association and one of the members of the jury, said: “I was not disappointed to be there as a jury member and to see the work of the young generation. I am proud to see there are people who continue practicing our Lao culture with love and care”.
 Khao Tom Phat is not only part of meals, but it is also deeply rooted in culture and tradition. It is a part of most of the important ceremonies of Laos. People use the dessert during alms-giving at Baci ceremonies and on many other occasions.
 “I am so glad that even now, young people continue to practice our traditional culture and preserve the taste of Khao Tom. Khao Tom and Khao Nom, which are made of Khao Niew or sticky rice, using the same ingredients as those used by our ancestors, are still served at important events and ceremonies in Laos, and they still have the original taste,” said Mrs Keomanivone Phalikhanh of the SKL.

By Sisouphan Amphonephong
(Latest Update July 6, 2022)