Have you been interested in the culinary arts since you were young? What was the first dish or flavors you recall?
I started to cook when I was 4 or 5 years old, with my older sister, who was only two years older. I remember very well that we only cooked rice porridge with the help from our neighbors (while my parents were injured from a traffic accident and were at the hospital). Since my parents both worked long hours, my sister and I cooked for our siblings.
What flavors and spices strike you as quintessentially Khmer? Which dishes would you wish people to try for their first Khmer culinary experience?
The flavor of lemongrass paste includes lemongrass, galangal, fingerroots, turmeric, kaffirlime, garlic and shallot is a unique base of Khmer flavor that has been used for many healthy and delicious dishes. These are the dishes that I would like people to experience for their first Khmer culinary experience, Samlor Proheur (fish lemongrass paste soup with mixed fresh vegetables), grilled fish with tamarind sauce (my favorite childhood dish).
When you’re tired after a long day what is your goto Khmer dish?
Chicken Lime Soup
Which province in Cambodia produces the most interesting dishes and flavours unlike any other?
I would say Battambang province because there are many more varieties of dishes in the region and some dishes originated from there which are now very popular across the country.
Do you have a favourite restaurant in Cambodia that really showcases and elevates all that is great about Khmer food and that should be a ‘must try’ for any visitor to the kingdom?
CHEF NAK Home Dining is a must. This is our home dining program, which after the pandemic will operate from a beautiful 1930’s wooden house from Battembang, now located near Mekong outside Phnom Penh.
We certainly see a bright future for Khmer cuisine. How do you see the Khmer food scene developing over the coming years both domestically and internationally?
I believe after the waves of pandemic, all countries around the world will try to promote and attract tourists to their countries. I think the Cambodian government will do the same, and the culinary art scene will be one of the keys used to attract people. In the meantime CHEF NAK is working to promote our extraordinary cuisine to the world through cookbooks, social media, home dining, cooking classes and culinary tours. We believe that Cambodian cuisine deserves to shine on the world stage.
How can our guests and readers learn more about Khmer cuisine? And more about your story and your amazing journey?
There are a number of articles about Khmer cuisines as well as social media contents.
People can also learn and enjoy Khmer cuisine through:
- Cookbook “Nhum – Recipes from Cambodian Home Kitchen” which is available worldwide on Amazon, and my next cookbook will be published by the end of this year.
- My web site chefnak.com
- Chef Nak Home Dining, a unique offering at the CHEF NAK Center, situated near the Mekong (now under construction) on a small organic farm where Chef Nak’s family’s wooden home is also located. Soon two antique wooden houses, each nearly a century old and moved here from Siem Reap and Battambang, will be erected facing one another across a natural pool, with tropical trees, plants and colorful fish, designed by an Italian architect.
- Chef Nak Homestay, two luxury suites will house guests who will be offered many unusual experiences including Chef Nak cooking classes and meals, culinary and cultural excursions in Phnom Penh, and bike rides and bullock cart rides on the nearby Silk Island.
- Chef Nak Cooking Classes and Market Tours, a half day experience, including a tour to the local market, one full meal at the end of cooking classes.
