Alternative names | Gaeng Kai Mot Daeng |
---|---|
Type | Soup |
Place of origin | Laos, Northeastern Thailand |
Region or state | Southeast Asia |
Serving temperature | Hot |
Main ingredients | Ant eggs |
Ant egg soup is a soup made from the eggs of the weaver ant species Oecophylla smaragdina . Ant egg soups are traditional dishes in northern Lao and Thai cuisine. They are also enjoyed in Cambodia and on China's Hainan Island. In addition to soups where they are the central ingredient, ant eggs may be added as a garnish to a variety of soups. They have a sour flavor and evoke nostalgia for the countryside.
Ant egg soup is a part of both Lao and Thai cuisine. As a traditional dish of subsistence farmers in northern Laos and Thailand, [1] [2] it can serve as an important source of protein. [1] In Laos it is known as Gaeng Khai Moht. [lower-alpha 1] [3] Varieties of ant egg soup are also eaten in Isan (Northeastern Thailand). [4] Ant egg and Leigong root soup is a traditional local dish in China's Hainan Island, where it is prepared by Miao and Li villages of Wuzhishan City. [5]
The main ingredient in ant egg soup is ant eggs, specifically those from the weaver ant species Oecophylla smaragdina . These red ants construct their nests on the undersides of mango tree ( Mangifera indica ) and coconut palm ( Cocos nucifera ) branches. An ant egg harvester will knock the nest off with a stick so that it falls into a bucket of water waiting below. [3] Reportedly, the best-tasting ant eggs are harvested from nests that are situated on mango trees. [3]
The harvesting of ant eggs may begin in February or March, and continues through the summer. Ant egg soup is a popular menu item in the late summer. [1] Due to its association with the countryside, it serves as an "emblem of rural life", [1] and evokes nostalgia in Laotian city dwellers. [1]
Soup is among the most popular culinary uses for ant eggs. In soups, the ant eggs are typically added towards the end of the cooking process. As a garnish, they may be added to a wide variety of soups [6] and add a "distinctive, sour pop". [1] Recipes for ant egg soup may include ingredients such as chicken stock, lemongrass, fish sauce, chilies, tamarind, shallot and spring onion. [3]
In Thailand, a type of scarab beetle (Psilophosis sp.) is sometimes ground and added to red ant egg soup. [7]
Thai cuisine is the national cuisine of Thailand.
Lao cuisine or Laotian cuisine is the national cuisine of Laos.
Laab / Larb is a type of Lao meat salad that is the national dish of Laos, along with green papaya salad and sticky rice. Laab is of Lao origin, but is also eaten beyond its origins, most prominently the neighboring former Lan Xang territory, or modern days Laos and the northeastern and northern areas of Thailand, Isan and Lanna where the Lao have extended their influence. Other local variants of laab also feature in the cuisines of the Tai peoples of Shan State, Burma, and Yunnan Province, China.
Cambodian cuisine is an umbrella term for the cuisines of all ethnic groups in Cambodia, whereas Khmer cuisine refers specifically to the more than thousand years old culinary tradition of the Khmer people. Over centuries, Cambodian cuisine has incorporated elements of Indian, Chinese and more recently French cuisine, and due to some of these shared influences and mutual interaction, it has many similarities with the neighbouring Thai, Vietnamese and Lao cuisines.
Green papaya salad is a spicy salad made from shredded unripe papaya. It was created by the Lao people and is a popular national dish of Laos. It also is a popular food in the neighbouring Northeastern region of Thailand and has gained its popularity in the country and the rest of the continental Southeast Asia, as well as Xishuangbanna (China).
Weaver ants or green ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae. Weaver ants live in trees and are known for their unique nest building behaviour where workers construct nests by weaving together leaves using larval silk. Colonies can be extremely large consisting of more than a hundred nests spanning numerous trees and containing more than half a million workers. Like many other ant species, weaver ants prey on small insects and supplement their diet with carbohydrate-rich honeydew excreted by small insects (Hemiptera). Weaver ant workers exhibit a clear bimodal size distribution, with almost no overlap between the size of the minor and major workers. The major workers are approximately 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) in length and the minors approximately half the length of the majors. Major workers forage, defend, maintain, and expand the colony whereas minor workers tend to stay within the nests where they care for the brood and 'milk' scale insects in or close to the nests.
Noodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is a common dish across East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayan states of South Asia. Various types of noodles are used, such as rice noodles, wheat noodles and egg noodles.
Oecophylla smaragdina is a species of arboreal ant found in tropical Asia and Australia. These ants form colonies with multiple nests in trees, each nest being made of leaves stitched together using the silk produced by the ant larvae: hence the name 'oecophylla' [Greek for 'leaf-house'].
Thai fried rice is a variety of fried rice typical of central Thai cuisine. In Thai, khao means "rice" and phat means "of or relating to being stir-fried."
Prawn soup, also referred to as shrimp soup, is a soup dish prepared using freshwater or saltwater prawns as a primary ingredient. Several varieties of the dish exist in various areas of the world, including Penang prawn mee in Malaysia, Peruvian chupe de camarones, Thai kaeng som kung and Mexican caldo de camarones. Prawn and shrimp soup can be prepared as a broth- or stock-based soup, as a cream-based soup, or as a chowder. In the United States, cream of shrimp soup is mass-produced and distributed canned or frozen.
Kaeng som or gaeng som or Asam rebus or Thai/Lao/Malaysian sour curry is a sour and spicy fish curry or soup with vegetables popular in Southeast Asia. The curry is characteristic for its sour taste, which comes from tamarind (makham). The recipe uses palm sugar to sweeten the curry.
Khanom chin are fresh, thin rice noodles in Thai cuisine which are made from rice sometimes fermented for three days, boiled, and then made into noodles by extruding the resulting dough through a sieve into boiling water. Khanom chin is served in many kinds of stock: coconut milk, fish curry, and chilli. Although chin means "Chinese" in Thai, this type of noodle originated from the Mon people who inhabited the region which is now central Thailand The word khanom chin is probably derived from the Mon words hanom cin, or "boiled noodles."
Ant eggs refer to both the eggs and pupae of weaver ants eaten in several countries across Southeast Asia, especially Laos and Northeastern Thailand (Isan). They are high in protein and enjoyed for their sourness and pop when eaten along with soups, omelets, and salads.
Naem is a pork sausage in Laos and Thai. It is a fermented food that has a sour flavor. It has a short shelf life, and is often eaten in raw form after the fermentation process has occurred. It is a popular Southeast Asian food, and different regions of Southeast Asia have various preferred flavors, including variations of sour and spicy. Naem is used as an ingredient in various dishes and is also served as a side dish.
Khao piak sen is a rice noodle soup that is a part of traditional Lao cuisine. It is a common comfort food that's great for a cold day. It is the "chicken noodle soup" of Laotian cuisine and does not require too many ingredients, but makes a perfect dish with its simplicity. It is often made in large batches to eat with a large group of people. It is sometimes prepared using pork belly. Chopsticks are commonly used to consume the soup, and it is commonly eaten as a breakfast dish.
Salads that are internationally known as Thai salads with a few exceptions fall into four main preparation methods. In Thai cuisine these are called yam, tam, lap and phla. A few other dishes can also be regarded as being a salad.
Egg drop soup, also known as egg flower soup, is a Chinese soup of wispy beaten eggs in chicken broth. Condiments such as black or white pepper, and finely chopped scallions and tofu are commonly added to the soup. The soup is made by adding a thin stream of beaten eggs to the boiling broth in the final moments of cooking, creating thin, silken strands or flakes of cooked egg that float in the soup.
Hot and sour soup is a popular example of Sichuan cuisine. Similar versions are found in Henan province, near Beijing, and in Henan cuisine itself, where it may also be known as hulatang or "pepper hot soup" (胡辣汤). Also popular in Southeast Asia, India, Pakistan and the United States, it is a flexible soup which allows ingredients to be substituted or added depending on availability. For example, the American-Chinese version can be thicker as it commonly includes corn starch, whilst in Japan, sake is often added.
Wonton noodles is a noodle dish of Cantonese origin. Wonton noodles were given their name, húntún, in the Tang Dynasty. The dish is popular in Southern China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The dish usually consists of egg noodles served in a hot broth, garnished with leafy vegetables and wonton dumplings. The types of leafy vegetables used are usually gai-lan, also known as Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale. Another type of dumpling known as shui jiao (水餃) is sometimes served in place of wonton. Shrimp wonton are mostly known as Hong Kong dumplings. The wontons contain prawns, chicken or pork, and spring onions, with some chefs adding mushroom and black fungus. In Indonesia especially in North Sumatra, West Kalimantan and South Sulawesi, wonton noodles are called mie pangsit.
Keng No Mai Sai Yanang ) also known as Gaeng Nor Mai, Gaeng Naw Mai, Gaeng Nomai, Kaeng No Mai, Kaeng Nomai, Kaeng Lao or Lao bamboo soup is a popular and traditional soup from Laos. The traditional recipe for keng no mai served to Laotian royalties can be found in a collection of hand written recipes from Phia Sing(1898-1967), the king's personal chef and master of ceremonies. Phia Sing's hand written recipes were complied and published for the first time in 1981. The dish can also be found among the Lao ethnic region of Northeastern Thailand (Isan).