If
you were craving one last post about Cambodia after reading the
Phnom Penh update, well then you're in luck. We've talked to the
manager and we were able to throw in one more for free. Our last day in
Phnom Penh was spent learning two staple Cambodian recipes - deep fried
spring rolls and
amok, a yellow curry dish steamed inside a
banana leaf. Our instructor was a cute French-trained 20-something
year-old aspiring chef who is a self-proclaimed hater of Khmer cooking,
but a lover of
amok.
We started the class with a stroll through the local market to see where most restauranteurs get their supplies. We say
restauranteurs and not
locals
because as it turns out, most Cambodians do not cook at home. EVER. In
fact, according to our guide, most don't even know how to cook and many
apartments come without a kitchen space. For those competent or brave enough to venture into the market, a plethora of colors, scents, and flavors await:
 |
| Fresh Prodce At the Market |
 |
| Ditto |
 |
| Some More Market Offerings |
 |
| Spices and Grains |
We got to prep, cook, and of
course taste our delicious dishes, starting with the spring rolls. We
cut up taro-root and carrot strings and them rolled them up inside the
spring roll paper (sort of like a blintz). Once constructed, we fried
our spring rolls to a delicious golden brown. Here are some shots of
the action:
 |
| Avi Being Schooled In the Art of the Spring Roll |
The Spring Rolls Being Prepped:
And the Final Product:
Finally, we made the
amok dish.
We first had to cut up our herbs and spices (some kefir lime leaves,
tumeric, and a mild ginger root), and then grind them to a paste. We
then added the wet ingredients including kefir lime juice, red chilly
paste, coconut milk and an egg. Finally, we added the protein (tofu for
the vegetarians and fish for the normal people) and steamed the entire
mixture in a banana leaf bowl.
 |
| The Amok Mise-en-Place |
 |
| Rach Cutting Up the Curry Ingredients |
 |
| Grinding Up the Ingredients |
 |
| Our Instructor Cutting Out the Banana Leaf Bowls |
 |
| The Curry Pre-Cooking |
 |
| Building the Banana Leaf Bowls |
 |
| A Double Dose of Amok |
 |
| Enjoying the Fruits of Our Labor |
Street Food Update: While we're on the subject of food, we figured we'd talk a bit about the hearty and delicious fare at the Phnom Penh night market. As expected, the market was stocked with stalls doling out cheap street food. We particularly enjoyed some grilled corn with scallions and the most amazing fish-shaped waffle/pancake hybrids filled with chocolate syrup and sweet red bean paste:
We also visited the aforementioned supermarket where Rach indulged in one of her favorite snacks:
We did not, however, have the courage to splurge on $15 Haagen-Dazs ice cream:
If
you were craving one last post about Cambodia after reading the
Phnom Penh update, well then you're in luck. We've talked to the
manager and we were able to throw in one more for free. Our last day in
Phnom Penh was spent learning two staple Cambodian recipes - deep fried
spring rolls and amok, a yellow curry dish steamed inside a
banana leaf. Our instructor was a cute French-trained 20-something
year-old aspiring chef who is a self-proclaimed hater of Khmer cooking,
but a lover of amok.
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