Cooking Cambodian Style

Cooking Cambodian Style

My daughter was working for the Office of the Co-Prosecutors at the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Trials at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, in Phnom Penh. When I went to spend the holidays with her there, last month, we did some really fun things.

We also took a deliciously fun cooking class, where we learned the secrets to Khmer cooking. I loved learning how to make bowls with banana leaves and how to make a chili paste Khmer style. It’s very different from chili paste in Texas! We made some curry and put it in banana leaf bowls before they were steamed. Our are the ones at the top that look different. We made our vegetarian. The other people made their dish with fish and chicken.

We made quite a few recipes and it was quite an experience. I highly recommend cooking classes when traveling. It adds a little something extra special to the meal you have that day!

My daughter and I love curry and other spices used in Asian Cooking. Khmer is different from Thailand cooking and it was fun to learn all the little nuances involved with the recipes and our food. We went on a shopping tour of the local farmer’s market, which was very educational.

I decided to put a lot of these recipes in my next book, From Earth To Table. This book will celebrate our global connection with the earth, family and food.

On Christmas Day, we went up to the northern part of Cambodia. We went to an elephant rescue and spent the day with rescued elephants and even were lucky enough to get to bathe, Princess, the elephant in the beautiful river in the forest preserve. Amanda and I had never bathed an elephant before. it was such a fun day. Princess loved getting her bath, which made it that much more enjoyable!

I love to travel with my family. My daughter and I now have lovely memories of being together over the holidays and doing some cool things together.