La Mi

La Mi

　　La Mi is a Dai term that collectively refers to various types of sauces. There are nearly ten varieties, such as “Nanmi Bu” (crab sauce), “Nanmi Pa” (rapeseed sauce), and “Nanmi Nanuo” (sour bamboo shoot sauce). The most commonly seen variety is “Nanmi Pa” (rapeseed sauce). It is made by cutting down a plant of leafy green vegetables that have flowered and seeded on the ground, pounding them into a fine paste, then placing the paste in a jar to ferment for four or five days. Once it turns sour, the solids are removed and the sour liquid is boiled in a pot until most of the moisture has evaporated. The remaining substance is then taken out and sun-dried to form the final product. When eating, salt, scallions, garlic, cilantro, monosodium glutamate, and chili are added, pounded together evenly, and placed in a bowl. This sauce can be used to dip fresh vegetables or simply eaten with sticky rice. It has a sour and spicy flavor, stimulating the appetite and complementing meals. (Xishuangbanna)