KHMER FOOD

PRAHOK KTIES			MACHU KROUNG			KORKO
Prahok Kties is a delicious staple dish of Cambodian cuisine. Prahok, which means fermented fish, is GOLD to Cambodian cuisine, and can take up different shapes of flavor, depending on the recipe. Prahok Kties is fried with pork taken from the belly sides of the hog, which accentuates the flavor, particularly with the amazing quality of pork (sakchru) that Cambodia produces. It leaves you with an amazing taste in your palates.			Machu Kroung (soup), a healthy, fulfilling, flavorful sweet and sour soup that is incredibly wholesome. The fried peanuts accentuate the soup. The lemongrass (slak krai) and the saffron truly complement each other and to top it off, the decorative local grown chili flakes (matey) make this quite an appealing site to the eye. This is in fact more towards a curry than it is the soup that most foreigners thought it to be.			Korko, the hearty traditional gravy is truly quite delightful; its base ingredient is actually toasted rice pounded and turned into a tasty base and complimented by prahok, pork and pumpkin, which together add a delicious warmth and texture to the palate. Korko, is one of those great fusions of traditional ingredients cooked to perfection.

Cambodian cuisine includes noodles, soups, grills, stir-fried, curries, salads, desserts, lots of vegetables, tropical fruits, and of course rice which is the staple food for Cambodians. Cambodian culinary secrets are rarely written down; the recipes were instead handed down from mother to daughter. From an ancient origin has come a traditional cuisine of unsuspected treasures: a unique blend of flavors and colors that enhance the natural ingredients used.

Cambodians perfected the art of blending spice paste using many ingredients like cloves, cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger and turmeric. They add other native ingredients like galangal, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, cilantro, and kaffir lime leaves to these spices to make a rather distinctive and complex spice blend known as “kroeung”.

Although noodles are also popular, almost every meal includes a bowl of rice. A wide range of curries, soups and stir fried are usually served with rice. Being in a country that produces many rice varieties, tourists can enjoy the best aromatic grains and various types of glutinous rice. The latter is more commonly served with a salad or in desserts with fruits.

There are two other unique ingredients that give Cambodian cuisines their fabulous typical flavour. One is a pungent fermented fish paste known as pra-hok and the other, the kapi, a fermented prawn paste. These require an acquired taste for most but they are beloved by some who used them in many dishes or even taken as a dipping sauce. Collectively, these ingredients have become an important aromatic combination commonly used in Cambodian cuisines.

Typically, a Cambodian meal is served with rice and at least three other dishes. It usually includes a soup (samlor), served alongside the main dishes. Each of the individual dishes will either be sweet, sour, salty or bitter; these exist side by side in harmony, sometimes even within a single dish, to offer an original melody. Chili is usually left up to the individual to add. In this way tourists are subtly ensured that they get a bit of every flavour to satisfy their palates. See more food

(Source: MOT)

Battambang: Wine-tasting among rice paddies

   Leng Chan Thol plucks some grapes ready for harvest from   

   her Batttambang vineyard. Photo by: ROTH MEAS

GRAPE trellises and vines surround the home of Chan Thay Chheoung and his family, about 13 kilometres from Battambang in Banon district.

The former orange farmer was a pioneer in planting vineyards in Cambodia – teaching himself how to determine the right soil for grapes and then how to make wine.

Now his vineyard draws tourists from all over the world, keen to taste the curiosity of wine grown in a tropical country.

Leng Chan Thol, 43, Chan Thay Chheoung’s wife, says their Phnom Banon brandy and red wine draws up to 50 tourists a day, a number that’s increased noticeably as the vineyard’s fame spreads.

“Some customers who come here say that they go to Siem Reap because they want to see Angkor Wat temple, but come to Battambang because they want to taste my wine,” she said.

Because she has more customers coming directly to drink wine at their home, Leng Chan Thol has opened a barbecue restaurant next door and keeps enough wines on hand for her customers to taste and buy.

Selling for between US$6 and US$15 a bottle, the family doesn’t yet produce enough wine to distribute to restaurants and hotels in Battambang, Siem Reap or Phnom Penh.

Leng Chan Thol says her family produces three different kinds of alcoholic beverage – Roger, Ripe and brandy. Most is made from the grapes on her farm, mainly shiraz and a variety called Black Queen. She says they produce a ginger drink as well, which also interests customers.

Back in 1999, when her family first started to grow grapes, Leng Chan Thol, says nobody expected her family would make the vineyard succeed. Her husband, who had plenty of experience growing oranges, taught himself all about grape cultivation by reading books in French, laboriously translating each word from a French-Khmer dictionary.

“Because oranges didn’t provide a good income for us, he wanted to change to another crop. So he researched several plants, and he found that the soil PH and temperature here was suitable for grapes,”  said Leng Chan Thol.

When he’d learned enough about grape cultivation, he asked relatives in France to send vine cuttings.

“We first grew several vines, and after they blossomed well and produced good fruit, we grafted more and more plants,” she said.

Later on, her husband expanded his vineyards to 2 hectares, using water irrigated from the Sangke river nearby.

At first they grew grapes suitable for eating, but in 2004 took the plunge and began making wine. Using equipment imported from France and setting up their own bottling line, their new careers began as winemakers.

Now their vineyards have expanded from 2,000 vines to 12,000. So far, laughs Leng Chan Thol, her neighbours aren’t interested in taking up the industry, but people from Banteay Meanchey province and Battambang’s Rottanak Mondul district have come to learn how to grow grapes from the family, and  have planted their own small vineyards at home.

“Some people think grapes can only be grown in other countries, but in fact grapes do very well in Cambodia,” says Leng Chan Thol. “People in other districts have grown them on ordinary rice paddies and the plants grow very well.”

One advantage of Cambodia’s tropical climate is that the family can get two or even three grape harvests per year, unlike in France, where one a year is normal. The family is proud of its pioneering role in viticulture – and in agricultural tourism.

(Source: phnompenhpost)

One more int'l direct flight service between Yangon and Siem Reap

A Myanmar private airline, Air Bagan, is planning to add direct flight service between Yangon and Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) of Cambodia, a local weekly reported Tuesday.

 

The flight to be launched in October this year without specific date announced will be the third regional air route operated by the Air Bagan after Chiang Mai and Phuket, the Voice said.

 

The Air Bagan has been flying domestically to 20 destinations.

 

Meanwhile, the Myanmar Airways International (MAI) had inaugurated biweekly flight service between Yangon and Siem Reap in February this year as its international flight extension.

 

(Source:Xinhuanews)

Jolie rocks the boat with ad

                  Photo by: Annie Leibovitz/Louis Vuitton

Angelina Jolie poses on a traditional boat in a new Louis Vuitton advertisement, which was photographed in Cambodia earlier this year.A new advertising campaign featuring Hollywood megastar Angelina Jolie posing on a wooden boat in Siem Reap province with a £7,000 (US$11,374) handbag was launched yesterday in the International Herald Tribune newspaper.

The adverts, shot by world- famous photographer Annie Leibovitz for the Louis Vuitton Core Values advertising campaign, feature Jolie “sitting barefoot in a traditional wooden boat in the luxuriant, watery landscape of Siem Reap province”, according to an official press release.

Matthew Robinson, founder of Khmer Mekong Films, said yesterday that regardless of how successful the campaign might prove, the sheer scale of the production alone had provided a valuable contribution to the Kingdom’s economy.

“Any production, whether it’s advertising, whether it’s TV spots or a movie or a drama coming from outside is going to boost the economy,” he said, adding that such jobs typically provided employment and valuable experience to Cambodians.

Louis Vuitton declined to comment on the amount of money spent on the production yesterday, but Robinson stressed that it had been an expensive campaign, pumping dollars into the Siem Reap tourist economy as well.

Western press outlets have reported that Jolie received US$10 million for the campaign, a figure Louis Vuitton yesterday declined to confirm.

They also declined to specify how much of the sum the star would donate to charity, though the wording of the official press release indicates she will donate her entire fee.

Jolie is no stranger to philanthropic activities in Cambodia, having established her own NGO, the Maddox Jolie-Pitt foundation, named after her adopted Cambodian son and set up in 2003 to tackle environmental degradation in Battambang’s Samlot district.

Her interest in the country may stem from a shoot here in 2000 for the action movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Jolie could be back  behind the camera in the Kingdom yet again  if producer Thomas Magyar gets his way. He announced in September that he was hoping to secure the actress for a US$70 million production to be filmed in Cambodia and tentatively titled The Great Khmer Empire. There is no word yet on whether Jolie is interested.

(Source: phnompenhpost)

Cambodia's coastline awarded as world most beautiful bay

Club of the World's Most Beautiful Bays has officially recognized Cambodia's coastal areas as its member, the minister of tourism, Thong Khon confirmed Tuesday.The recognition was made after Cambodia's proposal in May last year.

"With the club's recognition, we have optimism that our clean and well-preserved beaches will attract more foreign tourists,"he said, adding"it will also be an impetus to encourage more investors to the areas."Cambodia's coastline is stretching in the length of 450 km in four provinces of Koh Kong, Sihanoukville, Kampot and Kep.

It is the country's second most popular destination for tourists after Siem Reap's Angkor Wat temple, the world heritage site.The club was established in March 1997, in Berlin, Germany. Including Cambodia, it has 27 countries as member with 33 bays to be recognized as the most beautiful bays in the world, said the minister.

According to the club's criteria, to be listed as the world's most beautiful bay, a bay must be under protection project with a wildlife and flora area. Also, it must be recognized by both local and regional level, and it must possess at least two features recognized by UNESCO in the cultural or natural assets categories.Tourism industry is one of the main four pillars supporting Cambodian economy. In 2010, the sector received 2.5 million foreign tourists generating the total revenue of 1.75 billion U.S. dollars.

(Source = xinhuanet)

Cambodia, One of the World's Exotic Destination

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Over the last few years Cambodia has become one of the most loved travel destinations in Asia as well as to the world for must visit. Each year millions of people visit Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap (world heritage site) for a travel experience and a must visit for their life. Why? Most visitor they love to visit Cambodia because they like to see and love this country. Perhaps the main reason for Cambodia's popularity is its cultural and natural diversity - it doesn't matter which aspect of Cambodia you consider, you are confronted by extremes wherever you have been. Although it has no snow, winter, Cambodia has many types of landscape, tradition, cultural, attraction for travel experience. The mountainous, wild life, forest, islands regions of the north with its valleys filled and ethnic minorities.

Northern east Cambodia is the country's wild east, home to many ethnic minority groups known as chunchiet or khmer loeu (Upper Khmer), and on the stretch of the Mekong River between Kratie and Stung Treng, the last remaining freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins in Cambodia. The remote provinces of Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri. Eastern Cambodia's plains and hills offer fertile land ripe for jungle and agriculture, Cambodia's most beautiful landscapes, and as with southern Cambodia, offers some of the most attractive beaches and islands on the planet. Of course, all this nature is set against Cambodia's metropolitan areas; Cambodia is home to some major cities, Phnom Penh, the country's capital, certainly the largest and the most formidable.

Unlike other countries in the region, Cambodia has never been colonized and its history and culture have remained intact to develop a natural course. Culturally, Cambodia is equally diverse as its geography. A predominantly Buddhist country, Cambodia is a place of ritual and practice that are unfamiliar to most visitors and enhance the country's exotic appeal and Angkorwat is the world's biggest place for religion. Influences throughout the country. Many parts of country are home to hill tribes and traditional peoples whose traditional ways of life remain untouched and present a fascinating insight and love to visit of the year.

Of course, Cambodia's nightlife is legendary and a major attraction for visitors. Especially when you are in Siem Reap, there is much more than nightlife (Alot of bars, pubs, restaurants, night market (Angkor market), old market (Psar Chas) on offer about the country has its place to explore, but doesn't constitute even a fraction of what's on offer. Traditional Dance Shows (Apsara Dance Show and other traditional show) are entertainment areas abound, even in the country's less touristy areas. Of course, Khmer's restaurants and bars help complete an irresistible package with some of the best cuisine from original and other provinces and entertainment available.

Another reason for Cambodia's popularity as a travel destination is likely its accessibility. Although steeped in tradition, history and culture, Cambodia's travel facilities (Modern Restaurant, World Hotel Class, Budget Hotel, Guest House, Food, Car) infrastructure become much improved in the region. Transportation, Road, banking, and telecommunications and information system are all world class and help make even Cambodia's remotest of regions convenient and easy places to visit. This accessibility helps Cambodia draw a very diverse group of visitors to Cambodia (budget travelers, business people, researcher, students)… they are all here in their masses!

The key reasons Cambodia is such an attraction to visitors is the Khmer people  and its culture themselves. Khmer people are blessed with a character and temperament that are often the exact opposite of those and always greeting. You see little in the way of confrontation between people here; the famous Khmer smile replaces the temper and aggression that might be shown elsewhere. Despite the furry of modern life, Khmer remain placid and calm amongst the turmoil creating a tranquility many visitors find infectious and an important part of their Cambodia experience. Whatever for more please visit hopes to give you the information you need to get the very best out of your trip.

(Source: CTI)