Food Trip Friday 01: Fried Cambodian Rice Cakes

I love food blogs and I’ve always been lurking on and following food meme blogs, though I never joined (I’m usually lazy.. lol!). I learned about FoodTripFriday from a friend’s blog – We Ate This! And I had been pondering about joining, I love to cook, we eat out more often than I want to, err whenever I’m lazy to cook, and I also love sampling unique and exotic cuisines..

So here it goes.. My very first FoodTripFriday entry..

Cambodian rice cakes are sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves then steamed. It also comes in several variants. They simplest one would have ripe and mashed bananas as fillings, some with monggo beans and pork, while this one comes with monggo beans, pork and mushrooms. These rice cakes are a main stay during Khmer special occasions and is also usually used as offering during Buddhist religious rites.

When you buy these rices cakes its already cooked and steamed and can be kept for a few days. You can then slice it, then eat it as is, but I prefer deep frying it for an extra crisp..Yummy and so filling. Trust me, two slices is enough to fill me up.

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My Khmer Coffee Addiction

It’s a fact. I’m addicted to it. I can’t start a day without coffee and I usually have it a couple more times each day. When I first visited Phnom Penh last 2004, I was fretting and thinking that maybe I’ll be on a coffee-diet. Lol! I was really really wrong! I discovered that Cambodians are more than passionate about their morning cup. In fact, they have coffee anytime of the the day!

A few doors down my mother-in-laws house in Toul Tompoung area, there is a Khmer restaurant (corner resto St. 432 and 163) serving espressos and iced coffees at a fraction of the price of famous coffee houses. And the taste? Whew! One of the best brews I’ve ever had. Not only that, I was amazed to find out  that most of these local cafe’s roast their own local beans so you get freshly roasted coffee which, believe me has the best taste. Khmers prefer their beans roasted really black and adds a little fat or butter making the taste a lot richer. They would usually roast their beans every other day around 2-3 pm and just the aroma is heavenly!

So, though I still frequent nice cafes around Phnom Penh (I do enjoy their plush seats, free wifi, pastries..) but every so often you can find me sampling coffee from these small restaurants found all over Phnom Penh. These shops mostly speak very little English so come prepared and have this memorized (lol! I even have a small note always with me with Khmer translation of this just in case..)

• hot black coffee – caa-fei kh’mav (khdow -hot)
• coffee – caa-fei
• iced coffee – caa-fei teuk koh
• ice coffee milk – caa-fei teuk koh tuk duh koh

Khmer coffee is usually served hot – black or with milk / iced – black or with milk. There’s also a place inside Russian Market (Tuol Tompoung Market) serving what they claim to be the Best Iced Coffee in Phnom Penh. It does taste really good, and since there are a lot of tourists in the market they can speak English, so ordering a glass of iced coffee is a breeze.

It’s located right in the food hall, just look for the sign..

And to tempt those iced coffee lovers..

I’ve already shared this passion for Khmer coffee to some of my friends and also my sister. Ouwie is now also a certified Khmer coffee addict. Lol ! I can still remembered when she first tried it, she found it so good, she had too many glasses and found herself unable to sleep and was looking for natural sleep aids. So, though its tastes really good, just have it in moderation

Happy coffee drinking!

Khmer Hammocks and Food

This happened a few weeks back.. It was a weekend and with Hi-ace having a day without anything scheduled, so he asked me where I want to go for the rest of the afternoon. That day, I didn’t want to eat in any fancy resto or even go malling, I simply wanted to have some wind and rest and I was thinking I wanted to eat grilled sweet corn.

Hi-ace then told me he’ll bring us over to one place that is uniquely Khmer. Hmm, that was enough to pique my interest. I know Khmers loves picnics so I was expecting somewhere in a park or a place with lots of mats, you sit down and order food..

After crossing the Japanese bridge, he drove on for more than 30 minutes and I was beginning to wonder where he was taking us. All I could see where fewer and fewer houses and big empty fields. Then we reached a place with houses built on top of stilts and towering over a huge pond filled with lotus plants..

I just love discovering out of the way places like this and when I saw these, I knew I was in for a treat.. Hi-ace told me this is where a lot of Khmers go for food and some R & R. So how’s the inside of those houses on stilts? Here..

You can choose which nook you want to stay in. There’s a mat and a low table in the middle and hammocks made of dried hyacinth. And I was so surprised that those hammocks was so comfy! It was no wonder I fell right into sleep after we had lunch. It’s hard to resist anyway, the food and breeze made me so sleepy..

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Cambodian Rice Porridge – ‘Bobor’

Typical breakfast for Khmers is a French baguette with fillings or plain with coffee or a bowl  of kuyteow (white noodle soup in beef, pork or chicken) or a bowl of porridge called ‘bobor’.

‘Kuytwew’ soup is Chinese but has been adapted by Khmers. I’ve tried it countless times already and its really delicious. But I am more interested in the Khmer version of the porridge, the ‘bobor’ . Actually, ‘bobor’  is an all-day meal for Khmers. Porridge shops are open @ dawn every morning till early afternoon. Those wanting to eat ‘bobor’ again in the evenings can still get it from traditional Khmer restaurants as well as those vending carts that set up near the markets. My fave ‘bobor’ places are those that set up @ around 6 pm near the Tuol Tompoung (Russian) Market parking lot (the one adjacent to St. 163).

Cambodian Porridge - Bobor

Sorry the photos is kinda blurry LOL! I guess I was too hungry to care. Here’s a close-up..

Cambodian Porridge - Bobor

The Cambodian ‘bobor’ is made of rice cooked soft with lots of water, then mixed with either chicken, beef, fish. You can also request to add chicken liver, gizzard, blood. Then this is topped with roasted garlic, chopped mint leaves, onion leaves. And it just tastes so good! Super nourishing, an explosion of flavors, an all around comfort food. And it’s cheap too, a bowl would cost about 5000R or less than $1.5. If you’re here in Cambodia, don’t just take my word for it, it’s a must-try!

Living in Phnom Penh: Snippets Of Yesterday

Sunday, around lunch time…

Again, lunch @ Ma’s house. My mother-in-law called us early coz she cooked my favorite Khmer dish fish amok! Ok, so we lost no time going there =).Ouwie wanted to have brewed Khmer coffee again so Hi-ace brought her to a stall serving coffee and noodles and there she had her fill of strong black coffee..It was really funny to see how the one’s who makes the coffee, the stall owner and the waiters all gathered around her to see if she liked it. No doubt she loved it! Verdict? A lot better than pricey espresso’s in designer cafes and it just cost 2000 Riels ($.5). The downside is, she wasn’t used to the strength of the coffee so she could barely sleep a wink last night.

Cambodian Fish Amok

Amok was so delish as usual. I ate a lot of rice and afterwards I felt so guilty hehe. Nothing surprising there, so I just dragged Ouwie to walk around the Tuol Tompoung Market and we also checked out the new store right across it – WImports. It’s airconditioned so we stayed a while but it was so crowded with Korean tourists in bus loads. The shop has good stocks of factory overruns with name brands mostly for American market, but its a bit pricey compared to the ones you can find inside the market stalls and the price is fixed but shopping is more convenient because of the bigger space and cooler temp..

Late Afternoon..

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Delicious ‘Kutchay Flower’

I just know Khmer’s call it ‘kutchay flower’ and its a regular  part of Cambodian cuisine. I was curious when I first saw it. It was made as filling to what they call ‘Nom Kutchay’ or Kutchay Cake. Glutinous rice flour filled with kutchay flower, then fried then eaten with sweet-sour sauce and chili. It doesn’t look so appetizing but with my mother-in-law’s prodding I tried one, and I was really surprised, its so yummy! (sorry the photo watermarks are for my other blog – Pinaywife Atbp.. )

Cambodian Nom Kutchay

Cambodian Nom Kutchay Filling

Cambodian Nom Kutchay Sweet-Sour Sauce

The kutchay flower is not present in Filipino cuisine so I got curious on ways they cook it. They like adding it to fried noodles. They also like it stir fried with tofu and pork. I’ve also concocted my own simple kutchay flower recipe which Chinks really loves. Kutchay flower sauteed with shrimps, pork and cauliflower..

Stir-Fried Cauliflower, Shrimps and Kutchay Flower

Kutchay Flower

Its crunchy, and tastes a little sweet. Kutchay flower has been part of our weekly menu already. I love its taste and its healthy too. We should really keep eating stuff like this and save us from worrying about diet pills side effects.

Ouwie’s Intro To Phnom Penh..

My siste, Ouwie arrived Wednesday evening from Manila. She’s planning on staying here for sometime, an extended vacation maybe and to also check out if she could work here.. Anyway, after she had a good night rest after arriving, we have all started orienting her to all things Khmer.

Living in Cambodia is quite easy and exciting too and now Ouwie is finding that out. We all consider it an everyday adventure just discovering things about Cambodia culture. So, Chinks have started teaching her some really basic Khmer language, like numbers, how to ask ‘how much’ etc..

We spent a good part of Thursday afternoon orienting her to the traffic and some landmarks around Phnom Penh. We went first to Tuol Tompoung Market to shop for some silk scarves and slippers then we walked around the Royal Palace, and on her request near the Royal University of Fine Arts and we ended the walk in the park Sothearos St. around 6pm. Then we all decided to get some coffee, and instead of going to the nearest designer cafe, we opted to try out the Cambodian coffee at a coffee and burger place near the park. It took us a couple of minutes to give our orders to the waiter (my Khmer is really rusty..) but we managed to order a steaming cup of hot and brewed coffee for her and iced coffee milk for me. The verdict, yummy and cheap too! She says better than Starbucks espresso! We only spent about 6000 Riels or about $1.5.. I agree…

For dinner last Thursday we had her try the Cambodian roasted chicken found on the streets.. Goes for about 15,000 Riels, about $3 for the whole chicken, plus slices of cucumber and mint, and two kinds of sauce (sweet-sour-spicy and the salt-pepper mix).  This was really so good we ended up finishing a whole pot of rice hehe. Bad bad for those on the diet!

Friday morning we had to rush out for her interview with some company and afternoon we all had her try out Cambodia’s own ‘Subway’ sandwiches. And yeah she found it really really good, plus with the price of 3000-4000 Riels ($1) for the whole loaf filled with butter, mint, onion leaves, mixed sardines and pork sauce, and two kinds of pate filling in a crunchy French loaf, who wouldn’t fall for it?

She ended up liking it so much that yesterday afternoon, she bugged me to go walk to the market to buy some again.. So now I told her if you see a cart similar to this..

then she could have her fill. Last night we tried out (again.. the one on the streets..) ‘Mee Chaa’ or the fried noodles.. We went to Orussey Market around 8 pm and ate our fill of yummy fried noodles. Wow!  The whole plate just cost about 4000 Riels ($1) – all yellow noodles, with green veggies (they call it ‘katna’), lots of soft and chewy beef and topped with sauce and best eaten with chili sauce! Seriously, we could barely breathe with our tummies so full..

She has yet to the Khmer fruit smoothie – the ‘teuk kralok chek’. Maybe this afternoon. She says if this keeps going on she’ll be needing weight loss diet pills in no time. That’s not to say she’s complaining coz now were scheduled to have a hearty lunch again in my mother-in-law’s house. Yahooo! Home cooked Cambodian food again. =)

Living in Phnom Penh: Yummy Little Neo Donuts

Let’s see, I’ve been living in Phnom Penh already for more than a year and one of the things I miss in Manila  are doughnuts! I miss Krispy Kreme’s and local Filipino fave GoNuts Donuts! On the upside not having those yummy and sinful treats here in Phnom Penh means a big help to someone always on the diet like me, and I get to stop frantically thinking about fat burners and doing an hour-long treadmill run whenever I overindulge.

When we arrived here last year, whenever I have cravings for doughnuts I’d usually get some from USA Donuts right beside PUC but I dunno what happened coz a few months back I stopped seeing their stores so I just contented myself with those delicious pastries from Java Cafe or The Shop.

But a few weeks ago, Hi-ace came home with a box of cute little doughnuts from Neo Donuts. Their store is right along Mao Tse Toung Blvd. beside the Neo Suki Soup. This is a franchise of the Thai chain, I think. Anyway, though its nowhere near as delish as Krispy Kreme’s but its a good enough substitute for those wanting to have their sweet tooth indulged.

A box (24 pcs) of mini-doughnuts costs about $5 and the regular sized ones goes for about $.50-$.90 cents depending on the flavor.

Eating @ Khmer-Thai Restaurant

A couple of days ago, we went to CityMall to do some Christmas shopping. It was really crowded coz there was this concert about to start at the Olympic Stadium which is right next to the mall. I guess those who were waiting for the concert to start figured its much better to wait out in the air-conditioned comforts of the mall.

We were done shopping around 7pm and the restos inside the mall were all jampacked. Both Hi-ace and me doesn’t like eating in crowded places and we were also craving for some Thai food that night. We found ourselves cruising around Tuol Tompoung Area for a new place to try and we first decided on going to Tonle Bassac, eat-all-you can Khmer/Thai food but it was full of dining Korean tourists and was too noisy. Then we saw this little restaurant right across Tonle Bassac along St. 163 right at the back of the gas station.

It’s smallish, with just a couple of tables downstairs and had a sign Khmer-Thai Restaurant. We’re both lovers of Khmer and Thai food so we decided to give this one a try..

We were in for a surprise! Though the place is small when you get in, they have a very spacious 2nd floor dining area, where you get to lounge around on cushy cushions and dine in leisure. Good ambiance, decor not too overboard like Khmer Surin..(Sorry photos are kinda blurry.. I just took them with a phone camera..) Chinks loved the cushions so much she kept bugging me to buy one like it the next day. She says it’ll be great while she’s watching cartoons..

They have a good menu, mostly Khmer and Thai favorites. We settled on Mixed Seafoods Salad, Morning Glory in Oyster Sauce,Fish Amok (we usually try out Amok in Khmer restos..), and Pad Thai. The verdict? I love the Mixed Seafoods Salad! I can’t seem to get enough of it. The Morning Glory in Oyster Sauce was good too as well as the Pad Thai Noodles. The Fish Amok, not the best but it was okay.

Mixed Seafoods Salad

Morning Glory aka Kangkong in Oyster Sauce

Pad Thai Noodles

Their version of Cambodian delicacy - Fish Amok

Another thing I liked about the place is that you can eat as much rice as you can and pay only $.25/person. Haha, obviously I eat a lot of rice.  They also have free pandan tea which is great coz you’ll surely be drinking lots of it to chase off the spicy flavors.

All in all it was a great dining experience for us. The prices are good, mains costs about $3-$8, and there’s a lot of space to sit, relax and enjoy the meal. And though there were other diners there, it was quiet and the seats arranged in a way that you still get your space and privacy.

Suffice it to say, well be back there again. I’ve already made a promise to try out all their salads =)

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Living in Phnom Penh: Mango Surprise..

Most mornings I am alone in the house. Chinkee goes to school, comes back around 11:30 and Hi-ace has office and some classes and comes home about 12 noon. I love mornings since this is like my ‘alone time’, best sched for me to update my blogs and work online.

Since I’m always alone, Hi-ace always tells me to be alert and keep the gate locked and lookout for some undesirables. So far, nothing bad has ever happened yet and hopefully nothing does in the future. I also have two phones around me in case I need to contact Hi-ace or his family well in cases of emergency.

This morning, I was doing my usual routine, after checking and replying to emails, I was also thinking up an article about dental implants Mexico, when all of a sudden there was this loud ‘plok!!’ sound coming from outside. Since all was quiet, I was a bit freaked out, but I checked outside to see if there was anybody there. No one was there so I ventured to the yard..

Well, it was just a big and ripe mango! Hehe I picked it up and peeled it and voila!

Yummy Cambodian mango..

And I guess there’s more to come..

Mango Fruits..

and this one I’m watching out for.. It should be falling down anytime soon =)

Unripe Cambodian Mango

Cambodian mango varieties are really plenty, this one’s really fleshy, have nice color and really sweet.. We have 3 kinds planted on the frontyard, the other one has huge fruits, crunchy and best eaten while its unripe with salt, sugar and chili dip or shredded and used as salad with onions, fish sauce and some chili. The other one has small fruits, the flesh almost orange and super sweet..

Sour Soben, Kandal Province Cambodia

This is usually our dilemma. As much as possible we want to have a short reprieve from the dust and chaos here in Phnom Penh, but most weekends we don’t have much time to travel really far. So places just around Phnom Penh and adjacent provinces are really what we constantly look for.

One of our favorite weekend getaway place is Sour Soben in Tiger Road, Kandal Province. It’s about 30-40 minutes drive from Phnom Penh. Sour Soben has two huge ponds, landscaped and surrounded by floating huts and they serve delicious and affordable Khmer food. They also have lots of peacocks, swans and other birds plus for only $5 per hour (includes the fishing line, baits etc) you can also try your hand at fishing. They also have a free playground for kids.

I love the whole atmosphere of the place. You get to relax and feel the breeze.. No wonder this place is popular with Khmers so best head over there around 10-11 am to get your pick of a well-located cottage. Of course, in true Cambodian style, the huts just come with mats, as they prefer having picnics and sitting in lotus style. You can also bring a hammock, tie it in the huts and get some beauty sleep.

Khmer food served here is good and I particularly like their grilled fish, papaya salad, roast chicken and the shrimp served with coconut milk. Prices range from $3-$6 for the mains. Let’s say for 3 persons, $20 is more than enough..

I can’t describe the place more in words so I’ll let this photos tell the story..

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Sour Soben, Kandal Province Cambodia

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more huts..

Street Finger Foods – Khmer Style

I love Khmer food and I’m really adventurous when it comes to trying out street foods.  Comes from being Asian I think and besides in the Philippines these stuff are part of our daily lives. I must say I miss eating street foods from home and to remedy that I’ve been so game trying out what’s in the streets of Phnom Penh. Except for those fried exotic insects, I had been having a blast tasting different kinds of Cambodian street foods.

I’ve been curious whenever I see those roving eateries that set up late afternoon on the sidewalks with small chairs and lots of young people as patrons. Most of them eating nom pang pate, some serve fruit shakes, but what I was interested in were the fried finger foods. Reminds me so much of Pinoy favorites – fishballs/squidballs/kwek-kwek (quail eggs coated in flour and deep fried)/calamares (squid rings dipped in flour and deep fried).

The Cambodian version has lots of varieties. Hotdogs, beef balls, meat balls, sausages, veggies wrapped in fish wrappers, spicy ham and a lot more. I observed that Khmers like eating in balance. Each serving doesn’t just include several choices of sauce but it all comes with lots of herbs and cucumber. I love experimenting with the sauces and after trying them all I’m getting kind of confused about which one I prefer. The herbs balances the salty taste and the cucumber adds an extra crunch to it.

The variety of food and its unique Khmer taste makes one’s diet easy to forget. It’s easy to have food binge here and everytime that happens to me I contemplate taking diet pills to offset the extra calories. Not good though..Anyway, if you’re into street food and wanna try out what Khmers eat along the streets, this is a must try. And oh, it tastes great with chilled tea.

Khmer Restaurant: Boat Noodles

I love Khmer food but I must admit I’m nowhere near good when it comes to cooking it. I’m always pressed for time and one characteristic of Khmer cuisine is the freshness of ingredients (and I don’t have time to go to the market daily..) and lots of spices that needs to be chopped/grated/minced etc.

So when I crave Khmer food, I either resort to the cooking of my nice mother-in-law who spoils us several times a week with her always delicious Khmer cooking. But I’m not that thick-skinned to eat at my in-laws house everytime though I know they would welcome it. So we usually head out and try out different Khmer restaurants around Phnom Penh.

One of our favorite Khmer Restaurants is Boat Noodles Phnom Penh. This homey restaurant is located in St. 294, near the Philippine Embassy. It’s menu features a lot of Khmer and Thai favorites. It’s hard to miss this place if you’re looking for it. The facade is full of potted plants, statuettes with a lot of cars and motos parked especially during lunch and dinner hours. It’s popular among locals, expats and tourists alike.

Why we love it? The menu is extensive, delicious and affordable. Mains usually goes for $2-3. A family meal for 3 would not go beyond $15. Another reason is the ambiance. It has the look and feel of a traditional Khmer house, wooden decor, Khmer silk, surrounded by lush plants and fishes swimming in small ponds. Their staff too is an asset, speaks English well and you can easily request to tone down the spiciness of some of the dishes. And the last reason we like eating in Boat Noodles Restaurant – their fried ice cream. Chewy crust filled with ice cream deep fried and drizzled with chocolate syrup and topped with cream and cherries. For some reason, Chinkee just loves it.

My favorites – spicy Khmer salad with beef and basil, green papaya salad and Cambodian fresh spring rolls. Hubby loves the tom yum soup best. If you’re visiting Phnom Penh and looking for affordable and authentic Khmer cuisine plus good ambiance, Boat Noodle Restaurant is worth the visit.

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Boat Noodles Phnom Penh

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My daughter Chinkee enjoying Boat Noodles.. Obviously she's full so she's staying still enough for a photo.

Keeping Chilled and Cooled in Phnom Penh..

Ice Cream and Chilling Out Thoughts..

It’s supposed to be the start of the rainy season here in Cambodia, but everyday its scorchingly hot! I almost wish I could eat ice cream everyday! Here, there is also dirty ice cream (sold really cheaply) eaten with either a bun of bread or mixed with sweet sticky rice or ala carte with peanut toppings.

But near our house I seldom see those vendors pass by so I have to stack up on ice cream whenever we visit the supermarket. The options available there are limited at best and I kinda miss the Philippines where you’ll really get dizzy with the assortment of ice cream flavors in the market. My particular favorites – Selecta’s Halo Halo, Cookies and Cream, Coffee Crumble, and Magnolia’s Classic Ube..

I also remember we used to make ice cream at home when we were still kids. Making it really simple especially if you have an ice-cream mixer at home. It’s made from milk, cream, sugar and flavorings just mixed together as its freezing. When the mixtures begins to freeze its time to add in your favorite ingredients. I love nuts, fudge brownies, and chocolate chips as my extras.

Even my husband became fond of eating ice cream because of me. He says it must be contagious. He likes just the Halo-halo flavor though.

I also miss grabbing a frosty ZAGU drink. Pearls, ice, yummy flavors all mixed together to make a drink just right for those sizzling days. Good thing I found a good enough (and cheaper! ) alternative here in Phnom Penh – the fruit shake (the teuk krou lok). It’s made of mixed fruits in season, blended with crushed ice and condensed milk into one delicious fruit smoothie. Costs about $.50 ( that’s just about 20 Pesos !!) and the serving is really big.

When I feel guilty (this seldom happens, really..) about the calories in that luscious fruit shake, I then just settle for iced sugar cane juice with lemon flavor for lesser than $.40. It’s everywhere and even my daughter have grown so fond of it.

There’s also that sinful coffee with condensed milk mixed with crushed ice you can find in local restaurants and cafe’s. Cambodians also have a wide variety of desserts mixed with ice found in the markets during daytime and along the streets during night time. Most usually consist of assorted beans, sticky rice, and gelatin, with coconut cream topped with crushed ice.

Obviously, Cambodia is a place where you can enjoy yummy and varied food at really low prices. Trust me, it could get really addicting..

Yummy Street Foods, Cambodian Style..

I love street food! I know some people  (esp. my mom ) would always say, ït can be unsafe or it may be unclean but so far I haven’t anything wrong with my stomach. I am just lucky I think..

Street food here in Cambodia is plentiful and really varied. Although I haven’t summed up the courage to feast on the exotic fried insects, I have been trying out different types of food sold along the streets and the markets. Like most Asians, I’ve observed eating along the streets is so part of Cambodia culture. You can find places like these along the streets everywhere and mostly they serve nom pang sandwiches,fried meat balls, hotdogs and other finger foods, plus fruit shakes. Very much like out “fish ball/squid balls stalls” in the Philippines the only difference is that here they serve it with lots of cucumbers and herbs and they like sitting it out when eating.

Near the riverside, there are also “picnic places” that Khmers like frequenting. Mats are spread about the area and you can order grilled squid, fried noodles, fruits, and drinks. This places are specially crowded during the weekends..

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Chinese New Year Celebrations – the Khmer way..

January 26, 2009 – Chinese New Year . This is a big celebration for Cambodians too. I was a bit surprised about that.. well, there is no doubting the influence of Chinese to other races right..It’s not an official public holiday here but judging from the traffic jams in almost all intersections, the crowded markets, and the festive atmosphere everywhere, Cambodians are really into it.

Anyway, my in-laws are Cambodians by nationality but they are purely Chinese by descent. So the Lunar New Year is a really a festive celebration for them. The preparations actually started last week. It was general cleaning time. Everything was scrubbed and old unusable stuff was thrown out. My husband says its to symbolize sweeping away all traces of misfortune. As for me, I was only too glad to dust and sweep as I am an obsessive cleaner. Next we refilled rice, sugar, salt etc containers so we could have abundance for the next year.They also prepared gifts to friends and relatives consisting mostly of special sticky rice cakes and round fruits.

Yesterday was the highlight of the celebrations, we went to my in-laws house early to help preparing food. Don’t ask me the names for the food coz I really have no idea and besides we had several viands its hard to keep track . I’ve noticed a big difference in the food we prepare here with the food most Filipino prepare during celebrations. Pinoys likes meat, creamy, fattening stuff and a lot of foreign cuisine. While here in Cambodia, they mostly prepare native food, plus they have a lot of vegetables and less meat. They also prepare lots of different sauces as meats are mostly just steamed or boiled and it just goes with the sauce. As for dessert, they prefer fresh fruits and I noticed a particular affinity for lychees. What exactly is the link between Chinese and lychees, I dunno I just noticed they like eating that and even in Chinese restaurants their dessert menu commonly has almond lychees and black jelly.

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Exotic Food Not for the Faint-Hearted

I like spices occassionally on my food. I love trying out new cuisine. But I guess I just met the limit to my food adventurism. I think this is the height of exoticness, lol! A few nights ago, we roamed around the streets of Phnom Penh, looking out for something unique to try out. I love street foods! They are just so tasty and trying out what the locals feast on is one big adventure for me. My attention though was caught by this… tada!

A smorgasbord of fried insects.Fried frogs, assorted crickets, baby snakes, spiders… I did not taste any, I swear I wanted to but I was having goosebumps just by looking at them. My “fearless”daughter was begging to try a fried baby snake!

I don’t think I have the stomach for too exotic food but judging from the amount they are selling, people here must like it a lot. Interesting, isn’t it.. Discovering new things about Cambodia, their culture and traditions, lifestyle, food etc..Well, I’m having a blast and its making living here worthwile.