Running amok in a good way

In most of the world, 'amok' suggests someone's out of control, going a bit crazy. In Cambodia, it means tucking in for a really tasty Asian treat, Mike Peters reports from Siem Reap.

After a week in Cambodia, it doesn't take long to feel like you're in a coconut-cream dream. Coconuts are almost falling out of the trees in this tropical paradise, amid the brilliant blossoms of magenta bougainvilla and cherry-colored frangipani.

Chefs here have a thousand ways to use those coconuts.

At a cooking school near our hotel in Siem Reap, a friend and I have signed up to learn how to cook amok, Cambodia's "national dish". As the country has blossomed as a travel destination in recent years, foodies are discovering that "Southeast Asian cuisine" isn't all about Thailand and Vietnam, though many of the same herbs and spices find their way into the food culture of the Khmer, the traditional name of the Cambodian people.

The country's most famous dish, fish amok, is a slightly sweet curry usually presented in a bowl crafted from banana leaves. Amok can be found everywhere from tiny street cafes to five-star hotels; in fancier presentations, it has a custard consistency, thanks to a steaming step in preparation, and sometimes a browned top.

"The amok comes in varying versions and interpretations, depending on the province and preferences," writes chef Kethana Dunnet in Cookin' Cambodian, a recipe collection from the Sugar Palm restaurant in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. "Some are served very dry on a bed of banana leaves while some are done watery - almost like a soup."

British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay came to Siem Reap in 2011 to learn how to make the custardlike version at The Sugar Palm, where he filmed a segment of his Great Escapes TV show.

The Food Republic website notes that the subtle flavors of lemongrass and kaffir lime go perfectly with amok's flaky white fish.

At the stovetop

After sampling the delectable Sugar Palm version, I was eager to try a more home-cook-friendly version at The Cambodian Cooking Cottage.

Chef Lat Chhunly ("call me 'Charlie'") first takes our group of eight on a whirlwind tour of a local wet market, where we watch locals deboning fish, cleaning morning glory and other greens, wrapping banana flowers and squeezing all kinds of fruits into juice. The chef explains how to use the fruits and vegetables we don't recognize. We pinch, sniff and inhale a stunning array of spices.

Now back at the cooking class, he stops in front of my workstation. I've just begun heating up a splash of chili oil in my wok, with a little amok paste and a dense lump of shrimp paste. In less than a minute, the air becomes incredibly fragrant.

Chef Charlie has a big bowl of coconut milk, a ladle - and a question: "Do you want three scoops of coconut milk? Four? Five?"

Coconut milk is a favorite of many health-food fans who avoid dairy products in their cooking. Nevertheless, the amount of coconut milk I've consumed in the past week of eating Khmer foods would probably drown a Cambodian crocodile.

But the sweet-toothed chef had scooped five ladles of coconut milk into the sample dish of amok he's just made as a demonstration, and it was really yummy.

"Five," I say.

I convince myself that I won't add as much sugar since I've been piggish with the coconut milk.

Fat chance.

By now, with a line of eight woks blazing, the combined scent of lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves and garlic with shrimp paste is enough to induce glassy-eyed delirium. Chef Charlie explains that while amok is a leaf from a specific plant, the dish - like any curry - is actually made with a blend of spices similar to "curry powder". In Cambodia, amok paste usually includes the amok leaf, but because its aroma is short-lived, it's usually absent in the powdered version. The other spices mentioned above do the job very nicely.

As the soupy mix thickens, we add a firm-fleshed fish similar to catfish, chicken broth and some vegetables we've chopped ahead of time. The aroma gets more complex, and in five minutes the dish is ready to eat.

More Khmer flavor

What other taste treats can you expect in Cambodia?

The essential spices of lemongrass, turmeric, kaffir lime and galangal are combined with four essential vegetables: bitter melon, pea eggplant (the little-bitty green guys), banana blossom (usually in salads and soups) and water lily.

You can find spicy hotpot noodles at the night markets and pub-street eateries, as well as bai sach chrouk (pork and rice) with cucumbers, peppers and vinegar for breakfast and lap khmer (a chili-sprinkled sliced beef salad) on many menus for lunch and dinner.

Like Vietnam, Cambodia has a strong French colonial influence that shows up most delightfully in the bakeries. Delicious croissants and baguettes abound.

Fried tarantula, which some guidebooks describe as a "local favorite", was featured in a CNN Go story that went viral several years ago. We never saw it in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, though we didn't scour every corner of the night markets.

We're told it can still be found in the rural provinces. Gordon Ramsay tried one.

Contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn

Khmer Amok Fish

Ingredients:

120 g fish fillets (boneless)

50 ml coconut milk

30 ml fresh water

20 g carrot

20 g kale

20 g white cabbage

10 g oyster mushroom

1 tsp oyster sauce

2 noni or amok leaves, if available

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp chicken broth powder

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp curry seed oil

? tsp shrimp paste

2 tsp amok paste

slivers of red bell pepper for decoration

Amok paste (blend all ingredients together):

2 pieces lemongrass stalk, minced

5 g galangal, minced

5 g turmeric (fresh or powder)

3 kaffir lime leaves (extra for garnish)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Method:

1. Slice the fish into bite-size pieces; set aside.

2. Clean all vegetables and slice; set aside.

3. Heat a frying pan on low flame; add chili oil, amok paste, shrimp paste and coconut milk. Cook until fragrant.

4. Add fish and vegetables (except green leaves) and seasonings; cook about 5 minutes, then add green leaves and egg.

5. Serve in banana basket, top with coconut cream, slivers of kaffir lime leaves and sliced red bell pepper for garnish.

Recipe Courtesy Of Champey Cooking Class.

The finished plate of fish amok, ready for eating at the cooking class; participants started the morning by visiting a Siem Reap wet market with chef Lat Chhunly, then watching him prepare Cambodia's national dish from fresh ingredients. Photos By Mike Peters / China Daily