CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well, Asian cuisine is enormously popular across the globe but many aren't familiar with the food from Laos. The Southeast Asian country's has been overshadowed by its more famous neighbors. The world's missing out though. CNN's Amara Walker takes us to one of the top restaurants in the Laotian capital to give it a try.</s>AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Situated between culinary juggernauts Vietnam and Thailand, the landlocked country of Laos is ready to debut its relatively unknown cuisine. In the early morning hours, the sleepy Laotian capital, Vientiane comes to life at the open air market -- an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as rows upon rows of meat. This is where Ponpailin Kaewduangdy, known to most as "Noi" comes every morning to shop for seasonal ingredients. With a repertoire of Lao dishes in her head, Noi inspects the days offerings to decide what she'll cook. "Lao food is not easily recognized. Sometimes my customers think it is similar to Thai food but actually Lao food uses more vegetables and herbs." Noi is the chef and owner of local restaurant Doi Ka Noi with a menu that changes daily based on available ingredients. Noi says she doesn't compromise when it comes to cooking authentic Lao food. "We only serve Lao food with no modifications. Customers should know that Lao Food uses a lot of flavorful ingredients, like chili herbs and fermented fish sauce (ph). The 39-year-old started cooking with her grandmother when she was ten years old. Today she's making laab, a meat-based salad considered the national dish of Laos. For her laab</s>CHURCH: Making me hungry. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more news from all around the world after this short break. You're watching CNN.
A Taste of Laotian Cuisine.