On October 16, the World Food Day is celebrated. He recalls the creation of FAO, a United Nations sub-organization, which took place on that day in 1945. The FAO is responsible for nutrition and agriculture.
Today, the day is also celebrated by the World Food Program of the United Nations. The World Food Day is intended to draw attention to a proper diet, but also to the still existing problem of malnutrition in Cambodia.
Cambodians prepare for World Food Day
Every year there is a motto under which the World Food Day is held, this year it is “Healthy diets for a zero hunger world.”. This is intended to draw attention to the problems of malnutrition, which also exists in Cambodia.
While hunger is getting less and less in Cambodia, the problem of malnutrition is still there. Studies show that Cambodian children grow too slowly and are underweight for their age. Especially in rural areas, a balanced diet is difficult, but in many parts unknown. Children learn very early that rice makes the stomach full and is the cheapest staple. They eat very little vegetables and fruits, and protein is even rarer because meat and fish are expensive.
Word Food Day points to local issues
In addition, the fish in the Tonlesap Lake are getting smaller, and the lake continues to shrink in the dry season. Overfishing, especially of young fish, with a still growing population is a big problem.
The Cambodian cuisine is quite healthy. It offers a balance of vegetables and meat, and also provides carbohydrates. The many Samlor soups ensure that you get enough liquid and minerals. Local dishes and ingredients such as Prahok have been invented to preserve protein throughout the winter and dry season. The World Food Day aims to raise awarness about those problems.
Our host families are also encouraged to cookhost families are also encouraged to cook more complete dishes through our offer. We want to help them understand food as a common activity, as it once was. We also tell them about a good diet for children, which is a challenge if you can buy cheap sweets just around the corner. This is part of our activities during the World Food Day, but also all over the year.
As guests, you can also contribute by praising our host families for cooking and asking what they eat every day. If you kindly explain how important a healthy diet is – even if you do it in a few words and with your hands and feet – that’s a small step towards improvement.
The small street food dishes you can buy at street stalls in Bangkok have made street food world famous. In Cambodia, too, there are small stalls in every town, most of which produce one or two dishes. Some also have a whole buffet to choose from.
Street food is served for the whole day
First you have to distinguish the grill stalls from those who sell cooked food. Everything that is meat is grilled, from fish to chickens to frogs and rats. Some shops grill half a cow or a pork half on the roadside. The meat is then cut directly and calculated per 100 grams. You also get some herbs and cabbage. Another form of grilled food as street food is small pieces, such as chicken legs and wings, chicken hearts and feet, or simply sliced beef or pork slices. Often the meat has been marinated with chili, soy sauce and other ingredients. Rats and frogs are usually laid on the grill as a whole.
Street food is common for breakfast
But there are also cooked food on the street to buy, Most street stalls also have a few seats. Nam Ban Chok is a kind of fish curry, but not spicy with plenty of coconut milk. It is served with rice noodles and many herbs. In Cambodia it is a classic breakfast dish. Similarly, the Khmer curry, like most curries a mild variant, despite the red color. Classically it is served with chicken cooked in curry. The rice noodle dishes at street food stalls are usually only at certain times, usually in the morning. If they are sold out, you have to come back the next day. There are also very local delicacies: In Battambang the absolute insider tip is a small stall that sells pork brain soup early in the morning.
As in Thailand, small street restaurants with a buffet have been established in Cambodia. Here you can either choose three small dishes and serve them with rice or order a dish with a large portion. The menu varies from day to day and depends on what’s on the market, but also on the mood of the mostly female chefs.
Our host Hong Ginlai in Siem Reap runs a street restaurant. Their specialties are the Samlor Ktis, fish and pork with Tamarind and Prahok and Samlor Kor Ko, a soup with vegetables, Kreung paste and powdered toasted rice. Every morning she drives to the market in the dark and buys the ingredients for her dishes. Some stands already prepare the goods for them, cut the vegetables or mix the paste for the fishcakes. From seven o’clock in the morning she starts to cook the street food, and at 9 o’clock at the latest there are 15 different dishes ready to buy.
Learn yourself how to make the food
Ms. Hong Ginlai gave us exclusive access to her restaurant: If you want to cook your own food on a street stand, you can book it here. It starts at 8 o’clock, and after cooking, a breakfast is taken together. Our colleague Mealea explains the guests even more about the Cambodian cuisine.
Every year during the Pchum Ben holidays members of the family will get up early in the morning and start making Orn Som. It is popular Khmer snack, usually made for special occasions, but also found at local markets. It contains sticky rice, yellow beans and pork, wrapped in a banana leaf.
How to make Num Orn Som?
If you want to make it yourself, you just need a few ingredients. The most difficult to get might be a banana leaf, but it is an important part of the dish. First, you have to soak sticky rice in water over night. Then in the morning you wash the stick rice and let it drain, then mix it with coconut milk, some sugar and salt. Have a bowl with soaked and boiled mung beans and a bowl with slices of pork belly ready. The pork belly can be salted and you may want to add some garlic as well to make Orn Som.
You will now place a rectangle banana leaf on your kitchen table (you can also put aluminium foil under it). Then spread sticky rice like you would do it for a sushi roll. Press it slightly down, so it’s a flat surface. Next comes a layer of mung beans, flat as well and not extending over the stick rice. Now place a slice of pork belly over it. Cover it again with some mung beans and sticky rice.
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Make a roll and secure with strings
Now comes the tricky part: You have to make a roll out of it. If you use aluminium foil, then just hold both end of banana leaf and foil together, fold it twice and roll over. The traditional way of Orn Som however is to roll and fold carefully, and then secure it with strings. Nowadays many people use cheap plastic, but in the Cambodian villages Khmer families will still use strings made from natural material like banana leafs or water hyacinth. Once the rolls are done, you will boil them. If you do it at home it take about 5 hours to cook, in simmering water. Cambodians will use huge pots and heat the water over open fire.
For a holiday, Khmer will put the Orn Som into a basket and bring it together with other foods to the pagodas. Here it is either offered to the monks and they will have it as lunch, or placed on a certain table, where people then pick it and eat together. You can replace the pork belly with beef or even chicken, the latter isn’t as juicy as it should be. There are also sweet versions, where the meat is replaced with bananas and shredded coconut.
Have you ever visited a market in Cambodia? Each village has such a small market, which is definitely worth a visit. In the cities there are big markets like the Central Market in Phnom Penh and the Psa Leu in Siem Reap. But the individual districts also have markets. The most famous market in Siem Reap is the Old Market. The Samaki market is known for having wholesalers deliver vegetables and fruits early in the morning.
If you go to a market, you should always have some change, preferably the local currency Riel. 4000 Riel (KHR) equals one dollar and you pay almost anything under $ 5 with the local currency.
A market is usually divided into different areas:
meat and fish
vegetables
fruit
household goods
to eat and drink
dress
Somewhat unusual it may be that fish and meat lying open on tables. The sales assistants try to chase the flies with a frond or sometimes a converted ventilator away. Since fish and meat are usually processed immediately after purchase, bacteria and larvae have no time to multiply.
Visit a local market in Cambodia
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What to buy when you visit a local market in Cambodia
The vegetables come from both local farmers – many even produce organic vegetables – and from importers. Siem Reap is quite close to the Thai border, and Phnom Penh gets a lot of goods from the nearby Mekong Delta in Vietnam. The fruits also come from Cambodia as well as from the surrounding countries.
You can negotiate at the market, but since most traders do not understand English, it will be a bit difficult. Increasingly fixed prices prevail, and you pay per kilogram. However, you often get something for free if you buy something more.
You can not only shop for food when you visit a local market in Cambodia, but also taste ready-made food. There are grilled chicken and pork, but also curries and Cambodian soups like Samlor Ko kor. Either sit down and eat right at the stand or get the dishes packed and take them home. Definitely try the Cambodian waffles, which are baked directly on the market and contain coconut milk and -flakes. Anyway, all the small snacks are worth trying, for example fried bananas or sticky rice grilled in the banana leaf.
Get some sugar cane juice from a local vendor
If you are thirsty, there will be either a stall offering a variety of drinks or traders walking around with buckets filled with sugar cane juice. This is a great refreshment when it’s hot.
In terms of hygiene in the market, of course, this differs from a modern supermarket. But that also means that not everything is packed in plastic. Also you do not need energy-consuming air conditioners. Since the locals shop here every day for their goods, the dealers also make sure that everything is clean. In addition, the goods are processed directly after purchase, which increases food safety again.
If you want to experience a street food stall, then you should visit our host Hong Genlai in Siem Reap. You will start at 8am helping cooking some of the 15 dishes she offers every day and then have a great breakfast together.
As a service aiming to saving culture and environment, we already encouraging successfully our hosts to reduce plastic as much as they can. Food comes for examples from their own gardens. Many buy vegetables, meat and fish from the nearby local market. Often the goods are just wrapped in banana leaves or put in a basket. At the hosts homes we eliminated already the use of plastic bottles for our guests, and now we can go a step further: Guests who bring their own bottle can get a free and unlimited refill of water during their stay. Some hosts also offer tea made from locals plants, like pandan leaf.
Our hosts will refill bottles for free
Dine With The Locals supports the Refill, not landfill campaign with this measure and reduce the use of plastic bottle as much as possible. With our free refills we want to encourage tourists and travelers to play a part in saving the beauty of the Cambodian nature and the environment.
Refill and recycle
Many businesses in Siem Reap already took part in similar measures, reducing small plastic bottles in tours, events and activities. Furthermore, our hosts also collect those bottles and cans they can’t avoid and hand them over to the collectors. This way, we make sure that waste is not wasted. We generate some income and ensure plastic and aluminium gets back in the production cycle. Aluminium for example has an already a high percentage of recycled material, and Pet plastic can be used for other plastic bottles and material when proper collected and recycled.
We are listed on GreenCleanCambodia and we take environmental issues very serious. We will continue to come up with ideas and measures to furthermore help local families to achieve the goals to keep Cambodia green.
If you have any suggestions how we can do better, please drop us a message, either though our contact form or via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also send us a WhatsApp-Message.
One of the most important religious festivals in Cambodia is Pchum Ben. It is translated as “Ancestors Day”, but actually lasts up to 14 days. The festival marks also the end of the buddhist lent and the rainy season. Monks will now again be allowed to travel and asking in the villages for alms.
Our host Phanny will give travelers the rare opportunity to join her and her family in the festival activities. This year the main activities are from 27.-29.9.2019.
You will join them at 8am in the morning and help preparing the food. Those dishes will later on given as offerings and donations to the monks, but also be your lunch. Once the offerings are prepared, the family will take you to the pagoda.
Go to the pagoda and honor the ancestors
During Pchum Ben offerings are made in the pagoda to the ancestors. Since there is no graveyard and -stone like in christian countries, prayer will we sent up to the ancestors world. Those who are not with us anymore play still an important role in the Khmer culture. It is expected that during Pchum Ben the gates of hell will open and the ghost can come to the real world for a while. To please them, monks in the pagoda will chant day and night. The families will please the ghosts with offerings, usually food. But is is common belief that also those relatives who are not in hell will benefit from the ceremonies. The offerings will be given to the monks, as kind of intermediates to the ghosts. In rural Cambodia some people will throw rice on the floor to give it directly to the ghosts.
Meditating in the temple during Pchum Ben
Your part will be that of an observer, but you can participate as much as you can. Phanny’s daughter Thyda will teach you how to pray (you are praying to the ancestors, so even for non buddhists its ok to do it without believing in a religion). But we leave it up to you. She will also lead you to the sand stupas, which are build in the temple areas during important religious festivals like Pchum Ben. It will take around two hours at the pagoda. Traditionally women wear a white blouse when entering a temple area, men a shirt and trousers. You don’t have to dress like a local, but should wear decent clothing, covering as much skin as possible.
Having lunch with your host family
After the offerings and prayers Phanny and her family will take you back to the house where you will have lunch with the family (it’s optional to have the lunch at the pagoda, but we need to know in advance).
It is a kind of hot-soup which was named from a forest. It is cooked with a combination of chicken and varieties of fresh vegetables like colorful tomato, green pepper, and sweet pepper, mixed with Khmer Kroeung and tamarind. For Khmer Kroeung, she uses lemongrass stalk, Kaffir lime, Galangal, Rhizome, and garlic. To make a yellow Kroeung, she added turmeric a bit over than others to get color and flavor. Finally, the soup is added with holy basil known as M’rah prov.
FRIED SWEET GOURD (KHUO NORNAOENG)
A very fresh fried tropical vegetables mixed (gourd and sweet corn) with chicken egg will bring you an unforgettable experience of Khmer food. After cooking, she added Kampot pepper and spring onion over the fried.
GRILLED PORK RIB (CHHA-EUNG CHHUMNY CHROUK-ANG)
A common right dish for every time meals such as breakfast, lunch or dinner. She could make it special by marinating the pork ribs with Kampot pepper (a special pepper from the southwest part of coastal of Cambodia), a little salt and sugar, oyster sauce and garlic, etc. Its smell will make you hungry!
COCONUT JELLY (CHA-HUOY DOUNG)
Hot and steamy would be a good way to describe the weather in Cambodia. Therefore, the coconut jelly is a popular dessert to help you cool down the heat inside your body. Mixed gelatine powder with coconut water and let it stand for a few minutes. After that top up it with coconut milk and leave in the fridge to set.
The dates:
27.9.1019
28.9.2019
29.9.2019
The price:
40 USD for single person
70 USD for two people
100 USD for three people
Included:
Transport from the host to the pagoda and back to the hosts house
Welcome snack and drink at the hosts house
Offerings for the pagoda
Lunch at the hosts house
Free tea and drinking water (and free refill).
Not included:
Transport to the hosts place
After booking we will send you a ticket with the location description and relevant phone numbers. It takes about 20-30 minutes from downtown Phnom Penh to the house, since it’s in the north of the capital.
We have our six minutes of fame in September, when the Cambodia-Episode of “Mit 80 Jahren um die Welt” is broadcasted on German TV station ZDF. A team visited us in April and filmed for half a day at our host Sarath’s house. The show tales six elderly people on a trip around the world, and one stop was in Cambodia. After visiting the night market and the temples they also wanted get in touch with a local family.
And the best experience local life and cook and eat with locals is what we a Dine With The Locals can do best. Sarath explained the concept of the mushroom farm and then led the guests to the crocodiles, where they wer even allowed to feed them with fish – from a safe distance of course. The crocodiles there are bred for eggs and babies, not as meat producers. After exploring the surroundings it was time for a typical Khmer lunch with three different dishes.
Family took good care of the guests
The day was hot and also one of the days with a power cut. To provide a bit a a breeze, Sarath’s father went to the neighbors who had a simple generator running, used all extension cords available and made two small fans going. This and a few cold towels and hand held fans was ver much appreciated by the guests.
For us the show is a great opportunity to be a but more known the the German speaking market, but also showcase what we are doing. The visitors where overwhelmed by the hospitality and friendliness of our host family.
TV Team is getting readySarath gets her micThe team is filming and interviewing the familyThomas and Sarath during filmingThe guest could feed the crocodilesThe old people enjoyed Cambodian food
Not only in business and food, also in tradition you can see how many families in Cambodia have Chinese roots. There will be celebrations for Chinese New year, but also today, August 15th., is an important day. Families in Cambodia get up early morning to prepare all the offerings and make specials version of food in their homes. Its time for the Hungry ghost festival or Sen Kbal tek in Cambodia
Offerings from the ghosts in a Cambodian home
The days is called Hungry Ghost Festival, often also written Zhongyuan Jie (中元節), Gui Jie (鬼節) or Yulan Festival, and it is also a Chinese version of the Pchum Ben festival in Khmer culture. Another name is Sen Kbal tek (សែនក្បាលទឹក).
Old story about Buddhas advice
One legends says that a student of Buddha students, Maudgalyayana, is kind of the founder. of the festival. He achieved the state of abhijñā and used his new found powers to search for his deceased parents. The story goes that he saw his mother in the realm of the hungry ghosts. So he went down to hell, took a bowl, filled it with some food and gave it to the ghosts and his mother.
But before they could get it in their mouth, the food turned into sizzling hot coal bricks. The student then asked the Buddha for help. He told him, that the mother’s sins were quite significant, and it needs 1000 monks to make offerings. A good day for that would be the 15th of the 7th month in the lunar calendar. And to be on the safe site, he added, prepare as much as you can, make it look nice and don’t forget fruits, incense sticks and candles.
Day off for the hungry ghost festival in Cambodia
And of course the Buddha was right. The 1000 monks showed up, took the offerings and created enough power to free the mother from her sufferings. So to prevent something happening to your ancestors, families get up early and start cooking all the food. They present everything at the front door of a house or in the lobby. Khmer-Chinese families also show their wealth by big offerings, while at the same time pleasing the ghosts. In some Cambodian families all members come together for a – sometimes vegetarian – meal. Some seats are reserved for the deceased and remain empty, but will served with food.
What happens to the offerings? The family will either divide it with its members or give food to poor people in the neigborhood or in the village. The 1000 monks will not show up anymore, and Chinese family rarely invite them. Another reason: since we started the rainy season, monks will likely stay in the pagoda, because it is too hard for them to walk outside for the alms giving. So Khmers go to the temples and feed the monks, until after Pchum Ben Day.
It is common that members of the family take a day off from work, but it’s deducted from annual leave since it’s not a public holiday in Cambodia. Some businesses will also be closed at least in the morning for the celebrations. You will see kind of the same offerings during the Pchum Ben festival in Cambodia, which is in 2019 at September 27th and counts as a public holiday. Many workers will leave Phnom Penh and head to their hometowns for this event.
A special experience for travelers
From next year on we will offer a special experience for the Chinese hungry ghost festival. But for this years Cambodian version of the festival, we can offer you a ver special and spiritual experience. You will help a family wit the preparations for the festival, then go with the to the pagoda and watch the praying (or pray with the family, up to you). After the prayers and religious ceremony you will go back to the house and have a great meal all together.
Media, government agencies and tourists are reporting heavy rain and floods in Cambodia. August is always a month with heavy storms since it is rain season in Cambodia, but this year the amount of rain is more concerning. While the north of Cambodia desperately waits for some rain, the south is drowning. We know that travelers are concerned for their safety and want to give an overview about flooding in Cambodia and what you need to know. You still can do a round trip in Cambodia, with many local experiences, and only minor disruptions, if any. How das this effect traveling?
Most important cities
Flood in Battambang 10/2018 Credit: Cambodia English News Sihanoukville
Heavy rainfalls causing streets flooded for hours, and garbage is floating around. Streets in and around town are partly gone from flash floods. Luckily, the number of casualities is very low. But expect delays when you travel to or from Sihanoukville by car.
Koh Rong, Koh Rong Sanloem
Many ferries stopped there service partially due to high waves. Expect delays or cancellations in the ferry services. The islands are pretty safe, you may get wet a bit (but that’s why you are in an island anyway, right?). There could be a strong wind, and it is strongly advised not to go swimming in the rough sea. Every year tourists drown here, because they did not follow safety instructions.
Kampot and Kep
Both cities hat huge rainfalls and in particular Kampot and it’s surroundings are flooded. Expect some damaged roads when travel around. The situation in Kep is better and the main road to Phnom Penh is accessible and mostly untouched from the rain (most damage ist done by trucks in the city and village areas). Also, a damn broke in Kampot, but was repaired over night.
Phnom Penh
The capital sees always some flooding when it’s raining, due to intense construction and lack of space where the water can flow. Usually those floods last not more than an hour, the the water will quickly recede. If you want to escape flooded streets, visit our host Vannak, he lives safely in the third floor.
Siem Reap
In August the Templetown only saw few rain days, and therefore flooding is not issue at all. The lack of rain effects the floating villages and the tonle sap lake, water levels are very low. All temples can be visited as usual, and activities like cook and eat with locals are possible and advised.
Battambang
The second largest city in Cambodia was expected to get some flooding from nearby overflowing dams and the Sanker river has a pretty high water level. Still, mot of the town is safe and there is no imminent danger for travelers.
Some facts and advice for the rain season in Cambodia:
Street flooding in cities usually recedes after an hour. If a street is flooded be careful with walking. The threat is not so mich the dirt und garbage (Thats just disgusting), but from sewer covers opening up and not visible.
If you in a forest or at the countryside near a river, even a small one, watch the color. When it turns brown, immediately seek higher ground.
Most people who die during floods drown in the countryside, where swimming skills are not often seen. However, a significant number of tourists drown in the sea during rough weather. If there is a storm, stay at the beach.
Falling trees and branches can be a risk in Angkor Wat during heavy storms. Although trees are cut regularly, the Apsara authority cannot be everywhere. You are safe when walking around the temples
The rain season lasts from July to October, but it doesn’t rain all day. The south is most effected by tropicals storms from Vietnam. In the north, it rains just once or twice a day. But expect some cloudy days in the rain season.
The first time I came to Cambodia was 2004. I was a tourist, had no clue about the country and the culture. The first thing I did after leaving the airport in Phnom Penh was to go straight downtown and look for a local restaurant. One of those with red or blue plastic chairs and metals tables. I ordered a noodle soup as my entree to food in Cambodia, and boy was it good.
Cambodian food is generally not well known around the world, and even within the country. Most travelers may have heard about Beef Lok Lak and Amok, but that’s pretty much it. What is less known: Khmer food goes back further in time than Thai and Lao food. Let’s get into our time capsule and travel back to the year 810. It’s the early years the reign of King Jayavarman II., the founder of the Khmer empire and god-king. He was also Hindu, and influence from India is still visible in Khmer food. The way of cooking, both for the common people and the royals, paved the path for the cuisines in the whole region.
Khmer food is rather sweet than hot
Often people wonder, why Khmer food is less spicy as in Thailand and Laos. The answer is simple: when Cambodian food was developed, the Khmer people did not know about chilies. They came way later from South-America (like the papaya). There is also reason to believe that the famous Thai dish Som Tham, a spicy papaya salad, is a copy of a Khmer version made from mango and rice field crabs.
Spicy mango salad Khmer style
Different regions, different taste
Food in Cambodia is as in many countries diversified by regions. There is no single dish to feed them all. People in Siem Reap fir example make a nice Prahok, the fish paste, and add red ants to it. Kuyteav is eaten on Phnom Penh with many more ingredients than in other places, and sometimes with the soup in the side. It‘s origin is Chinese, like many other dishes with noodles. You can eat Num Banh Chok sometimes with green curry and fish, sometimes with a red curry and in Kampot As a rice noodle salad with fried spring roll, like some Vietnamese dishes.
Travelers often mistake Samlor with a soup. Although it has the same appearance, locals eat Samlor always with rice. Everything else is called Sup, and influenced from China and Europe. The most typical Samlor is Samlor Machu, because it is full of all kind of flavors. There are not many dishes in the world which taste sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami at the same time. Most Samlors have the Kreung paste as a base, made from lemongrass an other ingredients. Then again, the recipes vary from family to family and village to village. There are vegetarian options and some with pork ribs (our host Yem Panha cooks it with you in Battambang), Khmer Krom uses fish and tomatoes, and Samlor Machu Siem Reap contains bamboo shoot and little freshwater shrimps.
Food in Cambodia: stir fried, fried or boiled
While Samlor takes a bit to be prepared, stir fried dishes are easy to make. They were introduced by Chinese business people from Hokkien Tsha, who moved to South-East-Asia. Those chines immigrants had as much (if not more) influence to the food and economy than Indian predecessors. What gives stir fry a Khmer flavor are the ingredients. Some food on Cambodia is made with young ginger, other uses tamarind, fresh crabs (like in Kampot and Kep) or beef cubes like in Beef Lok Lak. Cha Kuy Teav is popular in Cambodias south, with fried flat noodles and strong dark soy sauce.
Char Khnei (fried ginger) is quote popular with both locals and tourists, and best made with chicken meat. In
Fried chicken with ginger
At many places where you eat breakfast you can find rice with barbecue pork and a scrambled egg on top. If you are brave, then try Phak Lov, braised and caramelized intestines. It is very popular as a side dish in Cambodian beer gardens. If you pass by main streets in the evening, you will most probably see a cow half on a big BBQ. It is grilled there since the morning and then cut on demand, either for take away or for having at the restaurant.
Beef Lok Lak is a salad
And then there are salads. The most ancient salad is the mango salad. Khmer use green shredded mango, not the ripe ones. The dressing contains lime, sugar fish sauce, chilies, Gallicanism shallots. Most important is the salty crab mixed with the salad right before serving. It goes well with sticky rice. The „pleah“ is a salad not for the faint hearted: Beef is mixed with prahok and herbs, some lime and pepper, usually served with rice on the side. And last but not least you will find Beef Lok Lak sometimes hidden in the salad section. The reason is that it is served with salad leaves, cucumber and tomatoes. The story goes that Vietnamese chefs invented it to please the french occupiers. They thought french people like salad and beef.
The heart of Khmer food: Prahok
If there is one thing that is really typical for Khmer food, than it’s prahok. The name stand for a fish paste made from small sweet water fishes called Trey Riel. When you make prahok at home, you just cut the fishes into pieces ad put then in a basket. They usually the kids crush them with their bare feet, the same way as it’s done with grapes in France. Once it has the consistency of a paste, it has to dry out in the sun for one day. Finally the paste gets a lot of salt and goes into big jars.
A good prahok may ferment for years, but most people just wait for a few weeks. As many fermented foods prahok was always used as a protein source in times when fish harvest was low. The name of the fish (Trey Riel) and the name of the Khmer currency are the same. It is said that the fish was once so valuable that it became kind of currency.
The queen of Khmer food: Amok
There is no restaurant in Cambodia for tourists that doesn’t have amok on the menu. Traditionally amok is a fish dish, but some place now offer it with pork or chicken as well. In particular cooking classes cheat a bit on the more expensive fish. It is similar to Thai steamed fish cakes. How is it made? It is not too difficult, but requires some time and tools. The basic recipe contains fish cubes, eggs, fish sauce and palm sugar. Then you mix it and season carefully with kroeung, a curry paste concoction of freshly pounded spices, including lemongrass, tumeric, galangal, kaffir lime zest, garlic, shallots and chillies.
Many versions available
Fish amok is a popular Cambodian food
While restaurants steam amok this days in professional steamers, the traditional way asks for a banana leaf. One ingredient responsible for the authentic taste is noni leaves. This plant grows usually in local gardens and in front of houses. The fruits later become quite stinky. For amok, you take only the young leaves and shred them. These days restaurants add beans and carrots to amok, mainly to stretch it and save money by replacing fish. There are attempts to use tofu or mushrooms for vegetarian option, but without much success. TV-Star and Chef Gordon Ramsey once visited Siem Reap and learned, that amok needs to steam for 40 minutes. While this is true for a family home, in restaurants you don’t want to let people wait for such a long times. Amok made in 20 minutes is a great and tasteful dish.
History of Khmer desserts
Khmer cuisine also has a vast variety of desserts, and one of the most famous is the layered cake, Num Chak. The family of one of our hosts make it every day to sell on the market. Sareth father is in charge. First he grinds rice to a fine powder. Then he shreds pandan leaves to small pieces. Then he mixes half of the rice powder with pandan leaf powder. The other half is on a seperate bowl. He adds coconut milk to both bowls and some palm sugar. Now the mixture has to boil for about 15 minutes. Then he carefully fills the white mixture first in a bowl floating on some cold water. This is the first layer. Once it cooled. He adds a layer of green mixture and so on. We have a video from the production site.
There is also some interesting history, as one of our facebook friends told us about the dessert:
Influence from Portugal
„Look up “Bebinca” in Gao, the former Portuguese Colony of India. It is likely the origin of Thai Kanom Chan, which get all the influence from the Portuguese traders and have became part of the Siamese royal court. Majority of Cambodian royalty during King Ang Doung regime, to King sisowath we’re educated in siam. There were records and mentioned about Siamese royal chef in khmer court at that time. Nyonya community in Malacca, Penang and Singapore also have “Kueh Lapis” which carried the influence from the European traders once the cultural community was formed.
Kanom Chan in Cambodia is only known during the latter centuries (early 20th century) and wasn’t embraced into the society, as only certain family knows how to do it. As the result, most Khanom Chan in Cambodia contain a name that aren’t translatable in khmer language as well as a product of a struggling recipes.
The point is “the resemblance of Thai and Khmer “Khanon Chan” has this connected histories through the latter centuries of Portuguese influences and the growing power of Siamese court over the neighboring country, it didn’t go back far as most people will claim.“
Most important tools to make Cambodian food
When I was watching my neighbors in Siem Reap preparing food I was surprised that they only need a hand full of tools in their kitchen. They cook food every day, and at Dine With The Locals we want to follow this local way of cooking. That’s why we are beyond the classic cooking class – authentic food and tools, real homes and families. This way, we don’t use much plastic and most waste is natural from left over food and vegetables.
So, what are the 5 basic tools you need when you preparing food in a Khmer home?
The mortar
A wooden board
A cleaver
A asian spoon
Gas stove
The mortar – in every home and cooking class
The mortar is something like the Asian food processor. It is environmental friendly, since it needs no electricity. I remember when I tried to cook Khmer food the first time in my home. To make the Khmer spice paste Krueng I added all ingredients in my blender and mixed them together. When I showed the paste to my neighbors, they were shaking their heads and laughing. Then the gave a me a wooden mortar and told me, to start again. and indeed, it makes a huge difference. Once you smash minced galangal, lemon gras, kaffir limes, turmeric and lemongrass together, you see the difference immediately. The fibers are longer and the paste has less liquid.
A mortar made from wood
A traditional mortar is made of wood, and can contain around 1 liter. We buy them on the local market for 9 Dollar, and a good product lasts a few years. In more modern kitchens you find mortars made of stone, usually smaller than the wooden ones. The advantage is that you can crack more solid ingredients better, liker pepper and peanuts. The pestle is from the same material as the mortar, either wood or stone. You can find ceramic mortars as well, however they are more common in pharmacies or as decoration.
A wooden board
While western regulations require now plastic sheets in different colors when you cut vegetables, fish, meat or chicken. Cambodia has all-in-one. Every family owns a wooden board, usually like a disk with 30 cm diameter. It’s best to cut ginger and garlic with a cleaver, but also to slice fish open and make beef cubes for Beef Lok Lak. The wood is local wood, and a family buys the board either on a local market or from a passing-by vendor.
A cleaver
A good chef – like a barber – owns a selection of good knives. But they are expensive in Cambodia, and the cleaver is kind of a Swiss knife for the kitchen. You can cut carrots with it, but also smash garlic gloves. These days families purchase cleavers from Thailand or Vietnam. Cambodia doesn’t have a big steel industry and many homes rely on imported goods from neighboring countries.
An asian spoon
It’s also called a Chinese spoon and has a different shape compared to western spoons. Typical is a thick handle extending directly from a deep, flat bowl. You can shave fish meat when you make fish balls with it, but also use it to taste a Samlor or to add more sugar to a dish. Like most tools it is multi-purpose use.
Gas stove or charcoal burner
There are usually two ways of heating food in Cambodia: The old way is to use the charcoal burner or Asian clay oven, the modern way is to fire up a gas stove. The latter is getting more popular now, since it doesn’t emit those toxic gases the charcoal has. also, the gas bottles can be refilled easily. Nearly ever mom and pop shop has a exchange service for used gas bottles.
Summary: Khmer food is a new world to discover
Cambodian food is popular in some US-States due to a lot of refugees there. Florida is one state where you find a lot of Khmer restaurants. In Europe it is still rare. But of course the best way to try Khmer cuisine is to buy food in Cambodia from local restaurants. And of course, if you want to make it yourself, meet at the same time local families and have a great time together, check our host list at Dine With The Locals. It’s ever growing in Cambodia and hopefully soon in other countries.
When we first met Ms. Vannarith in her house in Siem Reap, we went straight to her kitchen in the back of the small worden house to see how she makes her famous fish balls. It’s located in the outskirts of the Angkor forrest, a small path leads to the plot of land covered by big trees. The ancient ruins of Angkor Wat are only a few hundred meters away.
The concept of a kitchen differs from western ideas, in Asia it is more an area rather than a room. Cooking food in Cambodia outside has many advantages, the biggest is that the smoke and smell stays outside. Also, being outside while cooking in Cambodia gives you a much better experience – and less sweating.
Shaving fish meat from the skin
Have a seat, please
So it wasn‘t a big surprise when we arrived and saw Vannarith and her mother sitting on a low table. Whenever you eat with locals, expect this kind of setup. This kind of furniture is common in Cambodia, and has many purposes. People sit and chat in the shade, use it to have a nap or sit there and prepare food. Tradition commands an open house in a village, where everyone can come by and have a chat and a snack.
How to make fishballs
Vannarith bought some fish at the local market. Mostly the fish comes from the nearby Tonle sap lake, one of the biggest lakes in the world. It‘s a vital reservoir for Cambodia, for fresh water but also for fishing. In recent years the water levels dropped, and usual the flooded areas included the floating villages in Siem rap were left dry for many month. Nowadays the price for fish has increased to 10 USD for a Kilogramm of better quality. And yet, the fishes are smaller and smaller, as Vannarith‘s husband Chan Nith explains.
Vannarith cuts the fish open and cleans it of the guts, then carefully slices it into two halfs. She then turns the fish filet with the skin on the bottom. Now she carefully shaves the fish meat from the bones and put‘s it in to a plastic bowl. This is quite a time consuming task, since she avoids to break the fishbones. But that’s is on of the most important parts of how to make fish balls in Cambodia.
Breaking up the protein
Once enough fish beat is in the bowl, it get‘s seasoned with salt, pepper and sugar. The latter might sound strange, but Cambodian cuisine is know for being sweet and nearly every dish requires at least a tablespoon of sugar. Traditionally you would use palm sugar, but Vannarith takes refined sugar this time – it‘s cheaper now.
Cooking in Cambodia: Fishballs
Then her mum takes over. The most important part of making fishballs in Cambodia is to break the protein. When you knead a dough to make bread, you are mainly breaking up the flour to get the gluten out. This is something like a glue, that keeps the dough together later, but also makes it smooth. In meat the same job is done by proteins when they break up. But other than in life, a breakup must be done with force. so Vannarith’s mother smashes the big ball of fish meet on the bowl, kneads it a bit, takes it in her hands and smashes it back again. This process takes about ten minutes, until the texture is smooth and even. Once you know the craft of smahing the dough you really mastered how to make fish balls.
Reuse of plastic bags
While Vannarith ignites the little gas stove, her mum fills the fishball dough into a plastic bag. She uses the same plastic bag where the vegetables were sold her in at the market. We love it, a great way for a plastic free Cambodia. Some drops of cooking oil will prevent the meat from sticking to the plastic. Then she forms a knot and makes sure, there is some pressure in the bag. She turns the back upside down and hold the tip of the bag in one hand, while she care fully cuts it with a small knife. Now she squeezes the bag a bit and out comes a string she cuts when it is about 2-3 centimeters long. This string is then thrown in the cooking water.
Fermented radish is the secret ingredient to make fish balls
Cambodian Fish ball soup
Vannarith minces some garlic, ginger and kaffir lime and ads it to the water. Some salt, pepper and seasoning will make it more tasty, before the special ingredient comes to play. A Siem Reap style fishball soup needs fermented radish. The brownish root is cut into small slices and added to the broth. Once the fishball are raising to the top, they be taken out in a separate bowl. For serving the fishballs are transferred to a small bowl and then she pours the broth over them.
When I was traveling through South East Asia 15 years ago, local food always was my main focus. Since many journeys were half leisure and half business, we mostly stayed in hotels. We had at least dinner there. but here and then we escaped and tried the local food next door. And sometimes we got invited to our guides or business partner‘s homes. We could experience what we call now beyond the cooking class.
Women selling honey at a local market in Siem Reap
Nothing is wrong with a cooking class as an activity in Siem Reap and other destinations in Cambodia. You usually go to the market, what for many tourists is an exciting experience itself. You indulge in exotics smells, watch Muslim women selling meat, jump aside when a motorbike drives between the stalls and may even help to catch a fish that tried to escape from the bucket.
With a tuk tuk full of groceries you head then back to the restaurant, hotel or a special place. Guest wash the food and prepare it for the actual cooking. Some hotels may even swap the food from the market with their own stock out of quality concerns. Then the cooking starts. You cut the greens, pound the paste and make nice decorations from a water melon and carrots.
Once the meal is done, guests sit together and the tour leader or guide gives further explanations about the food, the local life and when is the best time to grow and harvest rice. You learn a lot about a culture quite different from what you know in the west.
Why we want to go beyond the classic cooking class
At Dine With The Locals we go beyond the cooking class. We skip the market, because it saves time and many tourists have been to markets anyway. Another reason is that our hosts grow some of the food in their own backyard. Panha Yem in Battambang runs her own organic farm. You harvest some of the vegetables used in your meal with your own hands. Nue Thai in Siem Reap has a small garden, but shows you how the galangal plat looks like, let you pick a custard apple and make tea from jasmine flowers or lemongrass. If you like to eat eggs at Vannarith‘s home, you have to go to the chicken sheds behind the house and get some.
Prepare food with the family is more than a usual cooking class in Siem Reap.
As it is custom in Cambodia, every host offers three dishes. Those are most of the time the families favorite Cambodian food. Quite often families trade a recipe from generation to generation, with little variations. For example Samlor Chi. You will not get this in a restaurant, and its not mae in cooking classes. Samlor Chi is a soup with chili paste, garlic, ginger and coconut milk. Then you add fish, eggplant and pumpkin i. We invite guests to make the paste for themself, so they get a better understanding what tools are used and how a traditional Khmer family prepares their meals.
Holistic approach to food experience
Experience means for us a holistic experience. The house we hosts our guests is not just a nice decoration or background for pictures, but it’s home for our guests during their time. Tourists in Siem Reap may know the history of the temples but not the history of the food they make in a cooking class that is different. Just look at Beef Lok Lak, a dish famous with tourists – at yet not a real Khmer dish, but from Vietnam. And although we don’t serve crocodile meat, we do have a host with a crocodile farm (they just breed and sell eggs and babies).
Food experience is a whole experience, from preparing a meal to eating it and talking about it. Why not trying it?
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