Travelers learn about Cambodias traditional dishes at a chef’s home and help save them from extinction.
Courtesy of Chef Nak
Most people struggle to describe Cambodian cooking.
Chef Rotanak Ros starts by saying what it is not.
Dinner at Rosâs homestay.Credit:Courtesy of Chef Nak
Cambodian cuisine is not survival food, the 39-year-old Ros told me.
Ros has also published two cookbooks that delve into some of Cambodias most iconic dishes.
She fears that unless work like hers continues, Khmer food traditions will be lost over the coming generations.
From left: Chef Rotanak Ros at her homestay outside Phnom Penh; meang chrouk, a salad from her cookbook, Saoy.From left: Courtesy of Chef Nak; Lamo/Courtesy of Chef Nak
Cambodiancuisine typically incorporates rice, fish, soups, plenty of spices, and fresh produce.
But Ros is quick to point out that these vary greatly depending on where you are.
Khmer food is regional, seasonal, and very personalized, she said.
Ross mission to reinvigorate Khmer dining stems from her countrys poisoned past.
She was born five years after the Khmer Rouge regime ended in 1979.
We lost the ground to hold on to, the roots of who we were.
The grounds were lush, with a large pool framed by palm trees that beckoned in the afternoon heat.
While there is no spa, massages were available on demand.
It can also vary by region and class.
We never use oil, and there should be lots of crunch.
(There is a recipe for the soup in Ross cookbookSaoy.)
There would be hundreds of recipes that generations of people would have otherwise forgotten.
Try the royal mak mee, a plate of crispy fried noodles topped with slices of marinated pork.
A highlight is thesombok samlor korko, which some Cambodians regard as a national dish.
