Chez Dang prepares papaya salad with shrimp
This Laotian national dish combines four different flavors: papayas and sugar provide sweetness, fish sauce for salt, sour lemons, and spicy chilis. That's how Hao Nguyen serves papaya salad in her restaurant Chez Dang.
Chez Dang - a family affair
"On paper, our name is Nguyen because that was the name that was put on our papers; it's a common name in Vietnam. But our real name is Dang. Chez is a reference to Indochina, which Laos used to belong to. And my grandfather and great-grandfather worked for the French, as a cook, among other things. That's why we thought the name fit so well." - Hao Nguyen
A large Laotian family
In 1977, Hao Nguyen was born into a large family in Laos. This picture is from before her birth. Her father was a critic of the regime, so in 1979 the family with four children had to flee to Thailand. Hao Nguyen was the youngest. A year later, she came to Berlin. In the meantime, she has her own family with three children.
Hao Nguyen was three when she came to Berlin
"My first memory of Berlin were these moments in the home for asylum applicants. Those are my earliest memories. I can still remember a long hallway with linoleum flooring, beds with gates and many other Asian people." - Hao Nguyen
Som Tam: a Laotian standard
What's unusual about this papaya salad is the method with which it is prepared: all ingredients are pounded by a mortar. Not only the spices and nuts, as pictured here, but also the vegetables and the green papaya are crushed. Som Tam, as the dish is known is Laos, is offered in different variations. Traditionally, it's eaten with sticky rice and fermented shrimp.
Papaya salad: a national dish for Laotians
"Loatian cuisine is remarkable because of its spice. There are many dishes which are spicy and still maintain their unique flavor because they are cooked with herbs and spices. And I have to say, if you cook Asian, you need many more ingredients than if you cook European-style. And that's more expensive because you can't get the herbs everywhere and they aren't that cheap." - Hao Nguyen