International Lao New Year Festival 2012

April 30th, 2012 | Published in Community, Culture

LaoAmericans.com sponsored the National Papaya Salad Contest at the International Lao New Year Festival in San Francisco, California on April 28, 2012.

The first prize winner of this year’s Papaya Salad Contest, Phouangphanh Keovongsa, has these recipe tips: “My thummahouang (papaya salad) is very simple. I thum (prepare it) with my love, most of all. I have enjoyed eating thummahouang ever since I was 11 years old. I remember making som thum by practicing with Mae Kasone padek (fermented fish sauce), which Jai Lao Foundation now makes for sale to raise money to help build schools in Laos. The taste of my thummahouang is very simple: sweet, sour and spicy with lot of padek in it. Thank you for having this contest and giving me the opportunity to share my love of making thummahouang.”