A Khmer feast

They say a country’s cuisine is the window to their soul, or at least that is the way I see things. Davao’s food is eclectic mirroring the diverse cultures and subcultures that populate its streets while Hong Kong’s food reflect Cantonese passions mixed with a bit of British eccentricities. Cambodian cuisine however is totally new for me until I got to experience it first-hand at the Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort and Spa.
 It was actually the last day of my Siem Reap romp and everyone in our tour group had been eating out a lot but we have yet to get to taste some authentic Khmer cuisine. We got to sample bits and pieces of it, but to actually sit down, taste, and experience Cambodian food from appetiser to dessert was something else.
 For starters we had Green Mango Salad with Pork Belly that reminded me of a Thai Green Mango salad, only this was had lesser spices but had more flavour coming from the fatty pork belly. this was followed up with another salad course, Fermented Fish with Minced Pork in Coconut Cream, that was served similar to an Indonesia’s Gado-gado with a more pungent fish smell.
 I am not normally a fan of fish soup but their version of fish soup reminded me of our own Pinoy Tinolang Manok which is comfy and rich in flavours.
 For the main course, we were served Stir-fried Kai Lan with Pork, Wok-fried Morning Glory, Roasted Chicken Khmer Style, and Wok-fried Fish with Khmer Spices. I love how the Cambodian cuisine balances vegetables and meat. They also love spices, but instead of the heady, heat and spiciness of Thai cuisine, Khmer cuisine is savoury with a little heat plus some delicious savoury notes coming from the extensive use of fish sauce.
 All-in-all, the Khmer lunch our group had was spectacular, add to the experience the fact that we were having lunch with views of Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort and Spa’s gardens, one can say it was a beautiful Khmer feast.
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