I've taken a little breather from Hong Kong this month, spending four action-packed days in Siem Reap for our annual CNY hideaway. Besides the breathtaking visit at Angkor Wat and other spectacular sites, local foods were just as important to me to complete the entire Cambodian experience.

Culinary Exploration

We were exploring Cambodian cuisine for the first time and so were unsure what to expect. In the past, we've (my husband and I) always thought about the cuisine as an extension of Vietnamese, but actually, we found it to be more an extension of Thai. You will find many "same-same but different" characteristics. To us, it's Thai food with less kick, no chilli and an absence of the sweet and sour character. Flavours are milder and less rich. On a similar level the cuisine features such Thai staples as lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, tamarind, palm sugar, lime juice and coconut milk.

Amok, the Cambodian curry is probably one of the most popular dishes in Cambodia. Research says it's usually served in a banana leaf, but I have not encountered this presentation myself. The dish is commonly made with fish. To me, it's like a rendered down Thai yellow curry. Amok is subtle but still delicious. The presence of the coconut cream is obvious and the last minute swirling of a raw egg adds a nice touch for additional flavour and consistency. The curry is more watery than a Thai curry with a consistency like soup. I was not too sure whether to drink it, or to drizzle it on my rice. Another common and tasty dish is Lok Lak using either beef or chicken.

Shining Bright

The brightest highlight in my culinary exploration would have to be the breakfast soup noodle Nhom Bagn Chork.  A pile of rice noodles served with a light coconut cream and very, very mild green curry soup. The soup is flavoured with a primary base called Prahok - fermented fish paste, and other herbs. There was nothing weird or fishy about it. To me, this was absolutely delicious. A basket of wild flowers, string long beans, never before seen herbs, and sliced banana blossoms accompanied the dish. Picking the flowers from the beautiful bouquet and tearing the greens off their stems and dropping them into the bowl of noodles created a dish almost too beautiful to eat! A little jar of green chilies on the table used at your own discretion. The green curry ingredient was not obvious, but the light coconut cream was. There was an extreme lightness and freshness to this dish. This will be one of those dishes I'll be dreaming of every now and then.

Char Trop Sach Chrouk, grilled eggplant with minced pork, is second runner up for most memorable dish this trip. I was told this was another one of those must-try dishes. The presentation was very bland, no colour and a plop of mush with some blanched minced pork on top. But, never judge a book by its cover, as this dish was bursting with flavour. My husband is not a fan of eggplant, you could say he dislikes eggplant. It makes his throat very uncomfortable and for him lacks flavour and texture. But when he took his first spoonful, he immediately reacted with a loud "WAH!" The pork was extremely exciting, made with local spices and finely chopped herbs, the pork stir-fried until all the juices had evaporated. The eggplant grilled, then skin removed. Amazingly unexpected!

Holy Cow!

We've all had suckling pig many, many times, but have you've ever had suckling cow? One early evening on the way back to the hotel, we came across a road-side night market. Family picnics on the sides of the road huddling on Cambodian floor mats, food vendors and their barbecued skewered meats, and last but not least, whole cows hanging on the giant rotisserie being carved section by section. It was a bit of a shock for me, but we decided to give it a try anyway. "Cambodians love barbecue", said our guide. He told us that the skin was his favourite! Cow skin, you mean leather? He chose the back of the cow, then the vendor took their carving knife and cut off a squared section off the back of the cow. The cow was actually completely raw inside, but roasted on the outside. The piece then goes straight onto the charcoal grill underneath. When done, it is chopped up into pieces and served in a plastic bowl. It tasted a little wild due to the overpowering spices, kind of like lamb. I think I may have been turned off by the visuals. I then took my second piece, this time, dipping it into the sauce. It was a lot better. I made out there was salt and pepper and lime juice, kind of like the salt mixture we dip our fried pigeons into in HK, but with lime juice. It masked the pungency of the meat, making it a lot more appetising. Two pieces was more than enough. It was rather lean, but on second thought, the cows we'd frequently see on the side of the road were undernourished, skin and bones, just like everyone else in Cambodia. In HK, there are many different cuts of fatty beef, like at those specialty beef brisket noodle restaurants in which we order all these different fatty areas of the cow, with tendon or no tendon. It was an overall nice experience, but never again will I give it another try.

Palm sugar is an everyday sugar substitute and also eaten for its health benefits. I stumbled across palm sugar vendors on the countryside that sell palm sugar to tourists and locals to make a few bucks. The sap of the palm tree is boiled in a gigantic wok for three hours until it becomes condensed, thick and sugary. The paste is then fitted into moulds to form palm sugar candies, or placed in peanut butter jars for cooking usage. This unprocessed form of sweetener is low on the glycemic index and has an extremely high nutrient content.

Despite all the memorable food, it was the people of Cambodia that left a lasting impression.