Category: Cambodia

Running Amok in Siem Reap

Amok is the national dish of Cambodia – it is a yellow curry and can be made with chicken, fish or seafood.  I ate ’em all.  And they were all delicious! It is also served a variety of ways – often it comes wrapped in a banana leaf:

Amok - Lotus Blanc
Amok – Lotus Blanc

Or a coconut:

Chicken Amok Siem Reap
Chicken Amok Siem Reap

Or sometimes, rather boringly on a plate!  Boo…

Chicken Amok 3
Chicken Amok 3

When we were in Siem Reap, I did a cooking class and learned to cook it! Here’s what I made in the class:

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And Here’s one I made when I got home:

Home Made Seafood Amok
Home Made Seafood Amok

 

But first…Siem Reap is a pretty town with sights ranging from the traditional:

Monks - Siem Reap
Monks – Siem Reap

 

Market - Siem Reap
Market – Siem Reap

To the distinctly more modern:

Pub Street - Siem Reap
Pub Street – Siem Reap

I couldn’t resist putting in this photo, it looks like Mark’s been photobombed by a pineapple!

Siem Reap - Cocktails
Siem Reap – Cocktails

There is also a bustling market for souvenirs and some lovely gift shops.  But dominating tourism in Siem Reap is it’s proximity to Angkor Wat, which is Unesco Heritage listed and the largest temple complex in the world.  The tourism system is very well organised, you can buy a one, three or seven day temple pass so can spend as  much time as you want exploring the area.

Cambodia Souvenirs
Cambodia Souvenirs

We did a one day pass which was possibly a mistake.  By the end of the day, we were utterly exhausted!  I felt a bit sorry for our guide actually, he kept valiantly trying to explain the history to us but, by late afternoon, most of our group were beyond listening. And there were monkeys…

Monkeys - Angkor Wat

And not just any monkeys…baby monkeys!!!!  Otherwise known as the cutest things in the world!

Monkeys - Angkor Wat2
Monkeys – Angkor Wat2

I am a five year old.

Seriously though, the temples were pretty amazing…

Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom was stunning and probably my favourite out of all of them.

Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom2
Angkor Thom2

And you could rub noses with Buddha…

Rubbing Noses
Rubbing Noses

Told you I was a 5 year old!

Ta Prohm

Then on to Ta Prohm which is the tree temple.  And pretty spectacular in itself:

Ta Prohm1
Ta Prohm1
Ta Prohm2
Ta Prohm2

And then there was the big one, the one they all come to see.

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat

You can get pretty high here..in a completely natural way:

Angkor Wat2
Angkor Wat2

But whoo…those stairs are steep!  I’m really, really scared of heights..the going up was fine.  The coming down on these very steep, but also very narrow steps, when it had just started to rain so everything was a little bit more slippery than it should have been?  Completely terrifying.  One of the most nerve wracking things I have ever done….

Steps Angkor Wat
Steps Angkor Wat

What was not terrifying but totally amazing was the cooking school at The Temple I attended the next day.  And just whilst we’re on this.  The cooking school at the Temple?  $US10.  Best bang for buck cooking school EVER.  Did I mention before that the default currency in Cambodia is the US dollar?  You only ever get proper Cambodian money as small change. It’s really weird….

Anyway, for your $10 you get to make three things.  You have seen my Amok.  I also chose to make a Green Mango Salad which was super delicious:

Green Mango Salad
Green Mango Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third thing was a dessert but it wasn’t very nice.  Hence no photos.

Making Amok

There was a funny moment though.  When they laid out the ingredients for the amok, I looked at them and thought.  “Wow, carrots must be expensive here.  But what’s the point of that one teeny, tiny piece.  What the hell good is that going to do?”

Ingredients - Amok
Ingredients – Amok

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That my friends, is not carrot.  It is turmeric.  Which I had only ever seen as a bright yellow powder before, hence my confusion. IT is also what gives the Amok it’s traditional yellow colour.  If you can’t find fresh turmeric, you can use the powdered version.  However I managed to find some in my local asian market so it is available.  It looks a bit like ginger but is bright orange! It is also super good for you!

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One thing to be aware of with either the powdered or the fresh version…book a manicure for the day after you make your amok.  Otherwise your fingers will look like you smoke a pack a day for the foreseeable future!

2014-09-14_09-40-19I”m off to have mine now!

Have a fabulous week everyone!

 

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PS.  They didn’t really give us a recipe for the Amok in the class.  Here is the one from taste.com.au which is what I used for my home made version.

 

 

 

 

Holiday in Cambodia: Phnom Pehn: The Worst and Best of Human Nature

Before this holiday I knew very little about Cambodia.

I had vaguely heard of Pol Pot  and a film called the Killing Fields. I knew some bad stuff had happened there.  And that was about it.

That was about to change.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Whilst in Phnom Pehn,  we spent a morning at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.  This is a former school that became a prison (S21) during the Pol Pot Regime.  It is estimated that 20,000 people were imprisoned here.  Seven survived.

In case you didn’t quite catch that, let me reiterate.

Seven.

Not seven thousand.

Not seven hundred.

Seven.

Out of  20,000.

Here they are:

Survivors of Tuol Sleng
Survivors of Tuol Sleng

And this was only one of the many, many prisons in the country.  All up about a quarter of the population was killed during Pol Pot’s regime. That these were largely the educated people – doctors, teachers, engineers, scientists and bureaucrats only made rebuilding the country even harder afterwards.  How do you even start to rebuild an infrastructure when all of the people who would normally be in charge of that type of thing are dead?

In the museum there are rooms and rooms of photos of the people who were murdered.  Many of the officials from the Khmer Rouge died here. But who really gives a shit if those murdering arseholes turned on each other?  Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Whoo, look at me getting all Biblical on the Khmer Rouge.

And if you have a defunct political party you would like me to trashtalk, you know where to find me.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Back to Tuol Sleng.  What was depressing was…well, pretty much all of it.

But what was truly distressing were the photos of the hundreds of children who were executed.

Jeez….Some of them don’t look old enough to be potty trained let alone be plotting the downfall of the government.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
Enemies of the State?

Tuol Sleng is a blood chilling place where the dark marks on the floors and walls are blood stains and the reminders of man’s brutality are everywhere.  I couldn’t bring myself to take a photo of this because it was just too horrible but there was a board of children where their prison ID’s were pinned into the skin of their chests or necks

Murdering arsehole doesn’t even begin to describe the people who did that.

There is a name for them.

Which I will not repeat because I’m a lady.

(That breath of air you just felt?  That was my mother breathing the hugest sigh of relief ever).

But you know exactly the word I mean.

Visiting Tuol Sleng also made me feel kind of stupid.  Why didn’t I know about this?  I studied history dammit! Let alone being alive, albeit a very young child whilst this was happening. It actually made me really angry.  We spent a whole semester in History class learning about the Dutch guilds of the 17th century.  And despite that being a truly fascinating subject (said no one ever) it may have been slightly more important to learn about the stuff that was happening on our doorstep.  Then again, that we did nothing to help the Cambodian people as a quarter of their population was decimated may have had something to do with that.

Rules S21
Rules S21

The people who actually saved the Cambodians were the Vietnamese.  Short version, Pol Pot tried to do his crazy arse genocide thing on a couple of Vietnamese villages.  He too, obviously, was not au fait with recent history.  Because here’s one thing I do know.  If you go into Vietnam and try to push your agenda onto them, the Vietnamese will not only kick your arse but they will also hand your testicles back to you on a platter.  And if you don;t believe me, ask France.  Or America.  Snapping Pol Pot’s nuts was a walk in the park for them. Seriously, it took all of about ten days for the Vietnamese Army to invade Cambodia, take control of Phnom Pehn and send Pol Pot back into the jungle crying for his mummy.

After Tuol Sleng, our Tuk Tuk driver asked if we wanted to head out to the killing fields.  This is apparently a thing.  We politely declined.  There is only so much horror and unremitting cruelty I can cope with on any one day.

So after an experience like that, how do you shake the feeling that humanity is not only doomed but deserves to be?

A visit to the Lotus Blanc Restaurant.

Lotus BlancThe Lotus Blanc is an initiative by a French NGO called Pour un Sourire d’Enfant” (For the Smile of a Child) and is a venture similar to Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen.  Except without the shitty attitudes and sense of entitlement. PSE trains disadvantaged Cambodian kids in hospitality skills in order to give them a career and a life off the streets.

This was truly the best meal we had in PP.  Not just for the food, which we will get to.  But for the sheer joy of the young people who were working there.  From the wait staff to the cooks, you have never seen a team of people so proud of what they are doing and so delighted to be  sharing it with you.  This place was an absolute delight from the moment we walked in to the moment we left.  It was truly a magical evening.

Lyheang lead the team who looked after us and did a fabulous job!!!

Lyseang - Lotus Blanc
Lyseang – Lotus Blanc

Here is our entree which was a prawn (Shrimp) salad.  Just the right blend of chilli and lime to make it truly delicious and you can almost taste the crispy freshness of the vegetables!

Prawn Salad Lotus Blanc
Prawn Salad Lotus Blanc

I had a traditional Amok for my main.  Needless to say delicious!  Amok Lotus Blanc

 

Normally we don’t have dessert.   But Lyheang convinced me that the Crepes Suzette would be a good idea.  He was right.

It was flamed at the table:

Crepes Suzette 1
Crepes Suzette 1

And looked and tasted divine!

Crepes Suzette 2
Crepes Suzette 2

That this place exists gives me hope.

If you ever happen to go to Cambodia, please make this a must on your list, it really is worth it.

And it is a powerful antidote to the evil.

Have a great week!

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