This is a post from the orphanage I volunteered at in the Kampong Speu region of Cambodia. Whilst myself and the other volunteers were there the directors were in the process of finding a new cook for the children and volunteers; the previous cook (unfortunately a woman who abused her position and skimmed from the food money and on one occasion beat a child) had been dismissed. Whilst this was a problem for the orphanage - nannies and the manager had to step up and do the cooking - it gave us a chance to buy local produce from the market and cook for ourselves.
In our volunteer house we had a simple 2 hob gas cylinder stove - so we had to really think about what we could cook! We decided ironically, since we were in Cambodia, on a Thai green curry. So here's our ingredients and recipe:-
Ingredients
- Onion
- Ginger
- Chilies
- Lime
- Lemongrass
- Coconut milk
- Roast Chicken
- Potato
- Oil
Recipe
- Peel and chop onion, add to pan with a little oil and sweat down.
- Peel, cube and boil 2 baking potatoes
- Peel and grate ginger, finely chop chilies (to taste).
- Add the lemongrass to the onions and make a paste with the chilies, ginger and lime juice.
- Drain potatoes
- Add coconut milk to the green paste and mix well.
- Finally, add roast chicken and potato into the curry sauce and simmer.
We used a rotisserie chicken bought from a stall that was set up outside the market one day. The stall only came a few times and we were so happy when it did! It saved us from having to deal with the somewhat daunting task of cooking the market chickens...
You can garnish the curry with an extra slice of lime, more chilies or some spring onion.
Our hob:
Some of the ingredients from the market:
The coconut cream and roast chicken pieces:
Green curry simmering:
The final result!
I confess to not being a cook back home in Scotland at all, although I do enjoy baking! So, my little foray into cooking a traditional dish in Cambodia was a surprising success!
Shopping at local markets can be a shocking experience, but the fresh produce that can be found there is remarkable and the abundance of herbs and spices incredible! So go for it... try cooking with fresh local ingredients when you're traveling.
