How to Plan a Lao-Thai Feast for a Group

The best way to eat Lao-Thai food is family-style — a table of shared dishes, everything down at once, sticky rice in the middle. Here is how to plan it.

The balance rule

Aim for contrast on the table: one herbal salad (larb), one crunchy/cool element (som tam or spring rolls), one grill (satay), one saucy dish (penang curry), rice, and a sweet finish (mango sticky rice). That gives you heat, sour, crunch, char and sweet in one meal.

Sample spreads

For 2

• Larb (share)
• Pad thai or pad see ew
• Sticky rice ×1
• Mango sticky rice to finish

For 4

• Larb + som tam (the two salads)
• Satay skewers (share starter)
• Penang curry
• Chilli basil fried rice or plain sticky rice ×2
• Spring rolls or curry puffs to start
• Mango sticky rice to finish

For 6

• Larb + som tam + satay
• Satay + spring rolls + curry puffs
• Penang curry + a second curry if you like
• Pad thai + chilli basil fried rice + sticky rice ×3
• Mango sticky rice ×2

Heat management

Not everyone eats the same chilli. Order the salads at a shared medium, then add one "Thai spicy" dish for the heat-seekers. See the spice level guide for how we rate heat.

Build your spread and order pickup or delivery from Dickson or Woden.