Some time ago I took a dream trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia to visit the astounding Angkor Wat temple, as well as many surrounding temples, the tops of which were visible at various heights poking out of the dense and damp green Cambodian jungle. A very Indiana Jones/Lara Croft type of experience!
Monkeys scampered around, with a few of the braver ones approaching tourists in the hope of getting something to eat.
As a tourist, I also at some point needed to scamper around looking for food to eat, and I can tell you first hand that Cambodian cuisine is absolutely delicious. Lemongrass, Kaffir lime and Kaffir lime leaves, and galangal (a rhizome related to ginger) are the flavors which I now associate with Cambodian cuisine, though of course these beautiful flavors are enjoyed all over Southeast Asia.
For those unfamiliar, here are the stars:
Galangal:
When I travel I like to stay in local hotels so that I can experience as much of the “foreign-ness” as possible – otherwise, why go? Why eat bacon and eggs when I could be dining on whatever it is that locals eat for breakfast? The hotel I stayed at was off the beaten path, very luxurious (for about a quarter of the price of a luxury hotel back home) – and the dining – morning and evening – was fantastic and I felt like I was in a W. Somerset Maugham novel.
One of the dishes I enjoyed most was the Khmer dish, Amok Trei, which is white fish steamed in banana leaves. It uses a spice mixture called Kroeung which, in brief, is a paste of ground up herbs and spices. In the case of Amok Trei, it was Yellow Kroeung (there are Red and Green Kroeungs as well for other dishes).
What a beautiful way to use the flavors of Cambodia – if you have access to these ingredients, which are available in Asian stores, you must make the effort to make this recipe.
Below is the adapted Amok Trei recipe, courtesy of Authentic Cambodian Recipes from Mother to Daughter, by Sorey Long.
Amok Trei
Ingredients:
Topping: 3 Tbsp Coconut milk or cream, pinch of salt, 1 tsp corn starch
Fish mixture:
Yellow Kreoung (Recipe: pound together in a mortar and pestle 7 oz lemongrass, 1 Tbsp galangal, 1 tsp Kaffir lime zest, 1 tsp turmeric, 5 garlic cloves, and 2 shallots)
Firm white fleshed fish
2 beaten eggs
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
5 oz (150 mL) coconut cream or milk
Garnish:
Kaffir lime leaves, julienned
Red pepper, julienned, white pith removed
Method:
1 – Prepare topping by combining all topping ingredients thoroughly until smooth and bring to a boil on medium heat until thickened.
2 – Prepare the fish mixture by combining all fish mixture ingredients in a bowl and mix well until smooth. Put in the fish filets to marinate.
3 – Put the fish mixture into either banana leaf cups (you can find instructions for making banana leaf cups on youtube) or individual ramekins. Spoon topping over the fish. Garnish with the lime leaf and red pepper julienne.
4 – Steam for 5 – 8 minutes or until the amok is cooked through with a firm and moist texture. Serve immediately with white rice.
A Tangle of Thyme 