Cooking Khmer Style

Today we took a cooking class at the Temple Club, a restaurant on Pub Street. When we first got here, we had only heard of the drinking scene at Temple, but we ate dinner there one night and now we're regulars. The Khmer dishes are packed with flavor, fresh and inexpensive. Their Western breakfasts are enormous and cost $2. If you ever come to Siem Reap, come here for more than beer.

So yesterday we walked in and asked about the cooking course. They had us sit down and we each chose a first course, a main course and a dessert to cook. Then they asked us what time and day we wanted to come in, and we chose today at 11 am. We had expected to share space with a bunch of foreigners, but it was just us and two chefs, which was awesome.

When we arrived, they gave us bright orange chef's hats and aprons to wear. We looked amazing. Then we started chopping vegetables. Lynsey made fresh spring rolls, fish amok and pumpkin dessert. Keith made fried spring rolls, Cambodian soup and banana dessert. We did a lot of peeling, slicing and mincing. We also made the spice paste for the amok, which is very similar to a curry paste. The spices and herbs were amazing - everything is fresh, no powders. We had never seen fresh turmeric, but it smelled (and eventually tasted) amazing. We also sniffed fresh cinnamon (looks like bark) and two types of ginger root we had never heard of, and can no longer pronounce or spell. All of these things got blended together with some chilies and oil and turned into a pungent, fantastic mess.

The chefs were very good about just giving direction and letting us do the cooking. The main refrain from them was "at little bit more...little bit more" whenever we added anything to the pan. Which is probably why everything tasted so good. After two hours of work, we sat down to an enormous lunch. Everything was delicious, and we can't wait to try again at home.

We're including a recipe below, but be warned that this might be a frustrating experience in an American kitchen. Once we get home, some cooking and testing will have to happen so we can adapt recipes to the ingredients available State-side.

Fish Amok for Two People (or one hungry person)
Put a good amount of oil in a hot pan (don't be skimpy)
Add a big scoop of amok paste (about 1/4 cup, or a big spoon)
Stir fry for awhile (everything will be bubbling/boiling the whole time)
Add one ladle coconut cream (small ladle, about 1/4- 1/3 cup)
Stir fry
Add 1 tsp chicken powder, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp palm sugar, 3 shakes fish sauce
Stir fry for a few minutes
Add fish (it was firm white fish, probably a cup and a half of bite sized chunks)
Stir fry for 5 minutes
Add one ladle water (bigger laddle, maybe 1/2 cup)
Stir fry
Add thinly sliced onion (one small or 1/2 large) and thinly sliced shallt (one)
Stir fry for a few minutes
Add another ladle water (I added three ladles during the whole thing. I'm not sure where the third went in, just add a ladle when it's getting thick from the heat)
Add two eggs and stir around. It will stiffen up quickly.
Stir in a cup of thinly sliced broccoli leaf at the very end.

It took about 20 minutes of stir fry from beginning to end. I thought the fish would be cooked to a second death, but it was perfect.

Serve with steamed white rice.

Amok Spice Paste (amount for 2-3 of the servings above)
4 sticks lemongrass, sliced into very thin rounds
4 dried chilies (big red ones, not sure what kind) soaked in cold water for a few minutes, seeds removed, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced
2 small pieces turmeric root, thinly sliced (about half an inch each) - you can use powdered instead, I'm not sure what the conversion is
2 small pieces murika (a type of ginger) thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts (roasted, unsalted)
1/2 tablespoon shrimp paste (PUNGENT, don't sniff too closely)
4 tablespoons chili oil
2 tablespoons corn oil
1 ladle of water (about 1/2 cup)

Put everything in a blender. Add more oil if needed. Should be a spreadable consistency.

Escapism

Every once in awhile, we escape into an alternate universe for an hour or two. It's so hot here that there comes a point, usually around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when we just don't want to deal anymore. And we know exactly where to go.

There are two Western-style cafes in Siem Reap: Blue Pumpkin and Common Grounds. Both have delicious coffee, pastries, sandwiches and AC. Blue Pumpkin feels like it dropped out of the sky from Sweden. Common Grounds bills itself as an "American Cafe" and American it is - almost too American. It feels like a Starbucks or a hotel coffee bar. But it's also a non-profit with all proceeds going to local causes, the food is excellent and the prices are more than right. We're finding ourselves heading there more and more, and leaving Blue Pumpkin behind.

So sometimes we're in Cambodia, and sometimes we're in a tiny piece of America, drinking iced coffee and eating a chocolate chip cookie. The contrast with the rest of this world is extreme; it's truly a bizarre experience to sit in these places and then walk out into reality. It's a sharp reminder that Cambodia is an impoverished country; a snack for us is almost a week's wages for some. But guilt aside, we're grateful for the respite. And when we need it, we'll keep sneaking over for a few minutes of home.

Water Festival

Tonight is the full moon. The sky is clear, there's a beautiful breeze, and the bass is thumping all the way across the river and up into our bedroom. It's day two of the Cambodian Water Festival, and things are in full swing. Siem Reap is normally pretty sleepy, aside from the moto bikes, but on a walk earlier tonight, we could barely move down the street. There are thousands of people along the river eating street food, screaming on carnival rides (wins a sketchiness contest with the Yarmouth Clam Festival) and listening to ten sets of huge speakers blast music. We're trying not to be grouchy about the noise, it's just that it's been going strong since this morning. Announcements from 7:00 am to 2:00 pm and then music from then on. Oy vey.

Aside from being loud, the Water Festival celebrates the reversal of the Mekong River. During the rainy season, the river flows into the Tonle Sap lake and it expands to four times its size. The lake is about half an hour from here. It's the biggest lake in South East Asia and it gives Cambodians a lot of jobs and food - fish is a huge part of the diet here. So the lake, and the river, are the foundation of Cambodian life. During the dry season, which just started, the lake shrinks and the water reverses its flow, back into the Mekong. The Water Festival is always on the full moon at the beginning of the dry season.

This afternoon, we settled in at the FCC for a drink and a riverfront seat to watch the boat races. The boats hold about 20 rowers each. Everyone faces forward, two across, and rows on one side of the boat with a short paddle. It looks really hard. The trick is to get everyone synchronized, and not many boats pulled it off. But it was fun to watch and cheer. Also, a crazy American man sitting next to us took of his shirt and dove into the dirty river. He seemed to enjoy himself. And the attention.

Almost midnight and the music goes on. We're going to try to sleep while the Cambodians party!

To see more Water Festival photos, check out Keith's blog.