Shimmer

That’s what sunlight does, it dances across the water, bejeweling its progress. It captivates the eye and soon enough the imagination, but don’t the other senses deserve a thrill too? Fortunately, pineapple does just that, advancing daylight’s vibrant taste and scent. Imagine what the golden fruit would do for a soup already teeming with flavorful…

Country Cooking

Simple yet delicious, when rural cuisine is done right, it’s wonderfully satisfying.  No matter where one finds it, particularly as with today’s entry, in Cambodia.  Among the many such culinary discoveries that await there is Bamboo Shoots Soup with Pork.  This is included in the seemingly endless variety of recipes My Linh Nakry offers on…

It’s Even Better Mixed

As with many Cambodian stews, Oxtail and Pineapple Soup is fairly simple, starting off with just beef, onions and pineapple.  Complexity and nuance come only toward the end, as diners choose from all manner of seasonings and vegetables to stir into their individual bowls, unleashing a symphony of flavors. When it all comes together, the…

This Time, Rice Is a Noodle

Wok preparations, even Cambodian varieties, are a fairly common theme on these pages, appearing probably every month or so.  Not surprising, as they’re a personal preference.  Variety is important, of course, and it will continue as the leading motivation.  Still, favorites remain favorites. Anyway,, most of these wok creations are served with rice, and today’s…

Unpacking the Bundle

Just one raft of three lemongrass sections is sufficient to flavor a whole potful of soup, earning Khmer Lemony Fish Soup its name.  The fish glides through a simple broth accompanied only by rice and flavored with only a few herbs, in addition to the aforementioned lemongrass.  The lemongrass provides an herbal, citrusy melody that…

It’s All in the Sauce

When Cambodians make Chicken Samlá Curry they put everything into the soupy basting sauce – lemongrass, ginger, lime zest, garlic, coconut milk…everything.  Even the chicken itself luxuriates in the impossibly fragrant mixtures, absorbing all manner of wonderful tastes. One thing this “curry” doesn’t have, though, is curry itself.  The name is assigned to any number…

Start of the Spice Road

Centuries before the outside world discovered chili peppers, traders devoted considerable time to bringing home peppercorns from Southeast Asia.  The journey was as arduous as it was lengthy, leading peppercorns, prized for their flavor and rarity, to be valued more than gold.  No matter whether peppercorns were loaded aboard a ship or transported by caravan…

Yes, Absolutely!

When a country labels one of its culinary creations Aromatic Black Tiger Shrimp with Fresh Garden Vegetables, the kitchen had better draw people with enticing scents.  Fortunately, today’s entry fulfils that mission, and then some. Actually, calling the aroma “enticing” understates its appeal.  “Intoxicating” would be more accurate. Consider what goes into the sauce that…

Lime, Juiced

Lime juice enlivens many dishes, adding an effervescent sparkle.  Cambodians have learned how to intensify the citrus’s flavor, amplifying it far beyond the supporting role it usually plays.  Much as Cambodia itself exerts a subtle, yet identifiable, cultural influence that exceeds its relatively modest size. Today’s entry, Eggplant with Pork and Shrimp, does precisely that,…

How Easy Was That?

While today’s effort, Stir-Fry Snow Peas with Pork, is simpler than most else of what’s featured on these pages, its companion sticky rice is even more of a pleasant surprise.  For those like me to whom sticky rice is unfamiliar, it tends to cluster, hence the name, and as such bite-size clumps are torn away…