Saveurs du monde

Cambodian Food

Evelina Rioukhina, UNECE

Brief country introduction

The Kingdom of Cambodia is the country in the Southern Asia, bordering with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Area – 181,035 km2, population – 9 million. Capital – Phnom Penh. Religion – Buddhism (official religion – 95% of population). Language – Khmer. National flag – horizontal band of red separates two equal horizontal bands of blue with a while three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat in the centre.

Cambodian foodbears many simi larities to food in other Southern Asian countries. Rice is the main of Cambodian food and is prepared in many different ways: cooked, fried, steamed, or rice noodles. Fish is the basic source of animal protein for Cambodians and it is also the main of their every day food. They eat the fish fresh, dried or salted. Chicken is the most common, followed by beef and pork. A popular accompaniment to soup is fish, a staple food that Cambodians prepare several ways. It can be grilled, steamed, stuffed with dried shrimp wrapped in lettuce or spinach leaves and dipped in sauce, or cooked with vegetables. Seasonings which Cambodians like to use include hot peppers, lemon grass, ginger, mint and coriander. Desserts are made from either fruit or rice and usually those are very sweet. Rice noodles, cooked in coconut milk it is really delicious!

“A Cambodian Food You Might Not Want to Eat!

Cambodians always want to ask foreigners if they want to eat “prohoc,” which is one Cambodian food which they think foreigners can’t possibly be able to eat. Prohoc is made from rotten fish which is left to ferment to become a fish paste, which they eat with rice. Although this description makes prohoc sound worse than it is, many foreigners have a difficult time getting accustomed to its rather strong taste! What is especially interesting is that Cambodians call cheese “prohoc barang,” which means French prohoc. To Cambodians, cheese must taste like rotten fish paste!” (An extract from one magazine which you might find amusing).

This is one of the simplest and quickest receipts. Try to cook it – definitely you will enjoy it

An Sam Chruk (pork ball)

Ingredients: 1/2 lb (225 g) pork 2 small blocks tofu 2 cup rice
garlic 2 tablespoon of oil

Procedure

Cook 2 cups of rice and try to keep it warm while you prepare the pork. Cut the pork into small pieces. Add some crushed garlic and fry in 2 tablespoon of oil for about 2 minutes. Then add the tofu, broken into tiny pieces, and cook for another 2 minutes. Do not forget to stir constantly. Add the pork and tofu to the rice and mix together into small balls. It is already ready – as quick and as simple as that! Serve it hot. You can accompany it with a cold salad.

Bon appétit!

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