Cooks in TukTuks Pt.2

Here's the cooking part of the class... We learnt that the ancient Khmer Empire spread over Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. These three countries have had great influence in most Cambodian dishes. If you like Thai or Vietnamese food, you will definitely enjoy Khmer cuisine :) Although, most people say that generally Cambodian cooking is not as spicy as Thai. Take a look at what we, Cooks in Tukuks, made!

Hibiscus Tea (not pictured) - refreshing iced drink made from hibiscus flowers

Banana Flower Salad (pictured) - salad of shredded banana blossoms, fresh greens, chicken and flavorful dressing

Amok Trei (pictured) - steamed curried fish made with kroeung curry paste

Sweet Potato, Sago & Coconut (not pictured) - sweet dessert similar to other Asian desserts around the region

Cooks in TukTuks Pt.1

Our first full day in Siem Ream started out with an activity we enrolled in, "Cooks in TukTuks." It's basically a cooking class offered by the River Garden hotel wherein you begin with a tour of the local markets and end by eating a full meal that you have collectively prepared. Oh yes, and the cooking of course is in between...

Tuktuks were waiting in the lobby to take us to the local markets and eating places of the Khmer people. Our first stop was a "snack" stall, which translated to water snakes, beetles and other insects! We had some people on our tour take a nibble, and the verdict was the usual, "It really doesn't taste like anything..." Sorry to say, Aileen and I were both chicken so we don't have any first hand comments for you. The next stop was an outdoor market for meats, seafood and vegetables. What a contrast to our supermarkets! Our chef/guide bought a few fresh veggies at the market but to our relief, he told us that the meat and seafood for our dishes were purchased at the supermarket and waiting for us back at the hotel.

A few snapshots of the tour below. Will post about the cooking in my next entry!