Khmer food promotion at the WokTok, the Grand hotel, highlights the Vitenamese, Thai, Chinese and Indian influences in the Cambodian cuisine. Chef Rajesh Sharma tells Divya Kaushik about some must-have dishes
After spending over three years at a place known to the world for its simple cuisine with understated and subtle use of spices, Chef Rajesh Sharma was looking forward to an opportunity to introduce the lesser-known facts about Khmer or Cambodian cuisine to Delhiites. This was one of the reasons that he came up with Khmer food promotion at WokTok, the pan Asian restaurant at the Grand New Delhi. Specially designed menu for the promotion highlights the food culture and eating norms of the Cambodians.
“You will find that Khmer cuisine is influenced by the Thai and the Vitenamese cuisine and also a bit from Indian. The famous story of an Indian Brahmin marrying the dragon princess is still told by the grannies in Cambodia, so influences from Indian cuisine, especially from the South India, are pretty obvious. But Khmer cuisine is a subtle cuisine, there is emphasis on lot of herbs. Spices like clove, cinnamon, star anise, fresh coriander and turmeric are used in the curries for the flavours but the chillies, which are known to lend the hot and spicy flavours to the dish are not used liberally,” shared the chef, who specialises in the South East Asian cuisine. He added that in the food promotion menu he has only included the popular dishes from the cuisine, “that will please the local palate.” In the soup section you can choose Somlor Tampeang — vegetable soup with bamboo shoot and coconut cream. The soup certifies what the chef says- none of the flavours is too strong. “Fresh water fish and rice are the staple diet of the local people. In fact, what is generally cooked in homes is the meat or fish with herbs like galangal, lemon grass and water spinach in a broth like form and is eaten with jasmine rice. It is mostly the street food which has satays, fried rice cakes, stir-fried dishes that is popular. There is an influence from Chinese cuisine as well. Most of the dishes are steamed or stir fry. There are some variations of rice noodles as well. Jasmine rice is used as the main course and sticky rice, in the making of many desserts. The cooking method is simple, cooked with sugar cane juice or palm sugar and little coconut cream,” said chef Sharma and added that like we have a concept of thalis, even Khmer cuisine has a set meal. There will be one soup, salad, one grilled or stir fry starter, main course, which is usually a curry served with rice and a dessert made from rice cakes.
In the salad section, one can try Plea Trei — seviche of fish with lemon grass, bell pepper, red onion. Main course, comprises different variety of curries. There is Amok Trei — steamed fish with coconut cream and fresh nyoa leaf, stir fried pork with hot basil, stir fried tofu with chive flower and bean sprout and red vegetable curry. “Cambodians eat their meal with three of four separate dishes. Each dish will be sweet, salty or bitter,” informed the chef.
He said that certain ingredients like Prahok, a fermented fish paste with a pungent smell, is used as a dipping sauce in many dishes of the Khmer cuisine, “but keeping in mind its pungent smell I haven’t included it in the preparation of any of the dishes.” A dessert with pumpkin cooked with coconut cream, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed will conclude your meal perfectly.