Feu (food)
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| Alternative names | Lao beef stew, feu noodle soup, Lao beef noodle soup |
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| Type | stew, soup, and noodle soup |
| Place of origin | Laos |
| Serving temperature | hot in a bowl |
| Main ingredients | meat (beef, chicken, pork or seafood), vegetables, herbs, and optional rice noodles |
| Variations | various spices, herbs, and vegetables may be used to make beef feu, chicken feu, pork feu, seafood feu, and vegetarian feu |
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Feu (Lao: ເຝີ; also known as Lao beef stew, Lao beef noodle soup or feu noodle soup and sometimes spelled fer) is a long-simmered Lao stew or noodle soup most often made with meat and bones (beef or chicken), vegetables, and herbs. Feu may be served two ways, either as a stew along with steamed rice or as a noodle soup consisting of rice noodles. The English name for this Lao dish is "feu", a spelling derived from the French dish pot-au-feu; however, in Laos, this Lao stew or noodle soup is written as ເຝີ in the Lao script.
When feu is served with noodles, its English name may be "feu noodle soup", "feu with noodles", or "feu noodles" to distinguish it from the stew itself called "feu" that is served with steamed rice.
Depending on personal preference, a wide array of ingredients may be used. A whole onion, a head of garlic, and sliced ginger may be charred and then added to the broth to give it a more intense flavor and aroma. Whenever garlic is used, the Lao typically do not shy away from using a lot of it. Charred lemongrass, sliced galanga, the white bottom of green onions, fresh cilantro stems, and fresh Asian basil stems may also be added to the broth for an additional Lao flair. Celery stalks and optional carrots are sliced and then added to the broth to round out the flavors.
Other ingredients that may also be added to the broth include Sichuan peppers, black peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, cloves, coriander seeds, black cardamom, cinnamon, and fennel seeds for a fusion of Lao with Chinese flavors.
Salt or fish sauce is also used in the broth along with sugar and sometimes soy sauce or oyster sauce as well. In Laos, beef feu may also include different cuts of beef and bones and sometimes tendons, tripe, and meatballs as ingredients. When making chicken feu, ingredients such as chicken skin, innards, and blood cake may also be used.
Rice stick noodles or broad rice noodles are typically used when making feu noodle soup.
The meat, bones, tendons and/or innards, onion, celery, ginger, and garlic are cooked first in the broth for up to several hours before the remaining herbs and spices are added to the broth and then allowed to simmer for an hour or more before adding additional seasonings such as sugar, salt or fish sauce, and sometimes soy sauce or oyster sauce before the broth is finished. Some of the vegetables and spices may be roasted or charred before adding to the broth to give it a more pronounced flavor.
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Wikipedia