Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Royal Khmer Cuisine


Many travelers always wonder – what does Khmer food look and taste like; is it similar to other ASEAN nation food?

Prior to joining Angkor Palace Resort & Spa, our Executive Chef Ving San (pictured) has spent much of his professional career researching, together with his previous colleagues , the Royal recipes of Royal Khmer Cuisine that were lost for two decades during Cambodia war.

The Royal recipes have been carefully prepared by The Royal Palace' Chefs in the 1960s(?) and only served for the Royal family, dignitaries and guests of the King.

Ving San said “Royal Khmer Cuisine is the menu represented at The Royal Palace in the Kingdom of Cambodia and this menu has been used for welcoming guests to The Royal Palace. I am delighted to introduce the selected receipes from our finest traditional Khmer cuisine, to our hotel guests at The Palace. As a Cambodian, I fully understand the characteristics of each ingredient, and I am familiar with culinary treasures from each province of Cambodia.”

A popular signature dish presented by Chef San from the Royal Khmer Cuisine is the baked large prawn from Tonle Sap Lake dressed in a mild spicy curry sauce. According to Chef Ving San, “I am pleased that our guests from Asia to Europe enjoy this particular dish very much.”

Chef Ving San and his team are busy finalizing the menu for the new Royal Khmer Restaurant in the resort (scheduled to open in third quarter of 2009). He explains, “The world is globalised nowadays and major Asian cuisines, i.e.; Japanese, Chinese, Korean, are available all over the world, but Khmer cuisine is unique to Cambodia and this is one of the key experiences for visitors to Cambodia to try.”

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