Around six months from
now, I stepped in Cambodia with an aim to complete my internship. I
accomplished my goal, and along with that, I came in acquaintance with a person
who is highly passionate about food. Fortunately or unfortunately cannot
specify, but this person was none other than my boss.
Image by Heike Hartmann from Pixabay
Quite lucky to have a
boss like him because it was he for whom I got the opportunity to experience
the varied dishes of Cambodian cuisine. For me, Cambodia is like land of Love,
Pray and Eat. Last week, I went to a meeting with my foodie boss with a solo
aim and that is food. I could feel my face getting fuller and trousers getting
tighter as the day passed. In that short time span, I have tasted numerous
dishes and could not say which one I loved the most and which I didn’t.
Mouthwatering smell of
the fiery wood fills the air of Cambodia. The smell will definitely remind you
the coziest bonfire and barbecues you have ever participated in. The smell
comes from the charcoal, which smolders and flames all day long in clay stoves.
Salmon machu Trey:
Image by Sharon Ang from Pixabay
Our first dish in one
of the most luxurious Cambodian restaurant was salmon macho trey. To most
Cambodian people, Salmon machu trey is one of the most popular dishes. It is
very light, but works as a great appetizer. Its taste was so lovely that I
couldn’t stop myself and went to the chef to know its ingredients. To my
surprise, the soup had no special ingredient in it. It had simple fish sauce, bean sprouts,
tamarind juice, celery, lemongrass and garlic.
Char KroeungSachKo:
Image by Sharon Ang from Pixabay
To keep it simple, you
can also call it “Stir-fried lemongrass beef”. This is also a common dish found
all over the country but works as a great starter, when you are out for a grand
dinner along with your boss. The golden color beef are sure to take away you
heart.
The sweet and sour
sauce made with lemongrass works as icing on the cake. You can also add some
red peppers with the sauce to tickle your taste buds.
Fish Amok:
Image by Sharon Ang from Pixabay
It was steamed fish in
coconut leaves. In all these six months; I never had such a delicious dish.
Amok is one of the most traditional dishes and is cooked in a banana leaf by
mixing fish, coconut milk, and curry. Hot rice along with this dish is a
terrific combination.
