Shopping with the girls at the local market

During our first few months in Cambodia I was taking the girls to shop at the local market but once COVID-19 broke I started to avoid the market crowds in favor of our local grocery shop (which is run out of a family’s house). This wasn’t a waste as the girls started coming with me…

Catherine can now eat a full bowl of Kuy Teav by herself

Two years ago I gave you an introduction to គុយទាវ, or Kuy Teav, the iconic Khmer rice noodle soup. It’s a traditional soup known throughout the region by various names including Hủ Tiếu in Viet Nam, Kway Teow in Malaysia, and Kuai Tiao in Thailand. I’m writing today to give you a quick but very…

Grilling on our Pot

Gas stovetops have become more common but many Cambodians use a charcoal burner shaped like a pot to cook. We bought one from a passing by cart a few months ago ($6 USD) and have been enjoying grilling with it. In design, it’s basically a recycled materials take on the well known Thai Charcoal Burner….

Charlotte tries some new snacks at Neak Loeung

We stopped for some snacks near Neak Loeung on our way to the countryside earlier this week and Doungchann, our Administrative Assistant, introduced Charlotte to some of her favorites. Charlotte enjoyed the hard boiled quail eggs. There were quite delicious and the yolk had a nice rich flavor. They also came with a tasty tipping…

នំពំ | Coconut Waffles

One of the girls’ favorite street foods are Khmer coconut waffles or ‘Noum Pom’. These sweet waffles are moist and dense, not airy and light. They do have that delightful waffle crunch on the surface but shredded coconut lurks beneath the surface. They are typically eaten plain, traditionally served in a banana leaf and more…

Fishbones and the heart of the Mekong

I developed a dairy allergy in my teenage years. Since then, I’ve often been asked “how do you get your calcium without milk?” Well, calcium is available in many foods with dark leafy greens being of special note. One of my favorite sources of calcium is blackstrap molasses which is a fantastic sugar substitute for…

Brazilian Cuisine (the Restaurant)

Brazilian Cuisine is a restaurant in Phnom Penh run by Tida En and his family. By day, Tida is an IT professional who runs his own IT business, runs IT for an anti-trafficking NGO, and runs IT for an international Christian school. But, since that’s not enough running, several evenings a week Tida also runs…

សាឡាក់ | Snake Fruit

Snake Fruit, or Salak, is a species of palm tree native to the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. It’s a seasonal fruit that can be found at local markets here in Cambodia but isn’t as common as other seasonal fruits like Mangosteen, Rambutan, or Longan. The outer skin of the fruit is where…

Charlotte Fruit Shopping

Charlotte’s newest household responsibility is to do the fruit shopping while I get the vegetables and meat at our local grocery shop. She loves guava.

ស្រការ​នាគ | Dragon Fruit

Dragon Fruit, or Pitahaya, is a tropical fruit indigenous to the Americas that is grown widely in Southeast Asia. It gets it’s draconic moniker from it’s colorful exterior, the mildly sweet fruit has a gentle flavor that’s somewhere between a kiwi and pear. It’s nice and refreshing when served chilled after lunch or dinner. Dragon…