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Malis

Before visiting Cambodia, I had never tasted Khmer food. For that reason, I was grateful to Toe and her husband, D, for taking Padma and me to dinner at one of the more popular Khmer restaurants in Phnom Penh called Malis (the Khmer name for Jasmine flower).

The ambiance of Malis is similar to that of any stereotypical fine dining restaurant where the tables are covered with crisp white table clothes, the chairs are comfortable, and although there is background music, the place is quiet enough for the diners to hear each other and not hear the conversation going on at the next table. There is, however, a distinctly Khmer feel to the place. Outside the restaurant are a Buddha and a lotus pond. Inside, the restaurant is dotted with Buddha heads, the walls are painted red and the windows are rectangular-shaped.

Despite the great ambiance at Malis, it was the food that took most of my attention. The food not only looked appetizing and beautiful, it tasted wonderful as well.

The first dish was an appetizer of diced stir-fried scallop with bunches of fresh green Kampot pepper served on scallop shells. The taste of the sweet and tender scallops combined with the fresh, spicy and crisp peppers was explosive. As this dish was novel, I have come to associate it with distinctly Khmer cuisine.

For our main meal, we had pork ribs, kangkong (this is a green leafy vegetable that grows in water but I do not know how it is called in English) and prawns. Those dishes tasted similar to Thai or Chinese dishes but were delicious nonetheless. The pork ribs were deep-fried and basted with a salty-sweet glaze. The pork was succulent and its oiliness tempered by the glaze. The kangkong was sauteed in garlic. Simple but good. The prawns were my favorite. They were fresh, sweet and as huge as a child’s fist. The prawns were decapitated, shelled, dipped in a light gossamer-like batter, deep-fried and served to us with a sweet chili sauce. In the customary Filipino fashion, we ate these dishes with moist piping hot steamed rice.

For dessert, we shared the pumpkin crème brulee. It was slightly thicker and had more texture than a regular brulee. It did not have a pumpkin or custard taste. It was not too sweet or too bland either. The taste was rather unique and I loved it.

Malis is definitely one of the places you should not miss when visiting Phnom Penh.

Ginger and Sesame Ice Cream

As you enter the Blue Pumpkin, a café in Siem Reap, you are greeted by the smell of freshly baked pastries and coffee. While I did not get to sample the delicious looking pastries and sandwiches, I had a taste of the Ginger and Sesame ice cream.  The taste of ginger was distinct but not over-powering and the black sesame provided the added texture. As the taste of the sesame was very subtle, the ice cream did not end up tasting like a savory Chinese stir-fry dish.  The ice cream is refreshing, unusual and an acquired taste, but definitely, worth trying.

Now is the start of the Lunar New Year, which is also know as the Chinese New Year. 

Tikoy is a round sweet sticky rice cake usually given as a gift before each Lunar New Year. Its round shape represents unity and wholeness while its stickiness represents cohesiveness.  According to my Chinese friends, Tikoy should be eaten by the family during the Lunar New Year to bring about family unity.  

Ang pao is a red envelop where money is placed.  According to my Chinese friends, Ang pao is given to younger members of the family and close friends by the eldest member of a family or group. You can spend the money inside the envelop but you should keep the envelop to bring prosperity.

Sometime before, during or after the Lunar New Year, a dragon and/or lion dance is performed in offices and homes to bring in luck.

According to my Chinese friends, among other things that you should display on your dining table and eat after afterwards are pineapples for longevity and kiat-kiat (small sweet oranges) for prosperity.

I am no geomancer or expert in the nuances of gifts and ceremonies performed during the Lunar New Year.  I do, however, like to receive ang pao, watch the dragon and lion dances and eat kiat-kiat, pineapples and Tikoy (which I slice into thin slivers, dip in egg and fry). So, I am sharing with you my Tikoy, pineapples, kiat-kiat, ang pao and a dragon and lion dance.  As we welcome the year of the Ox, I wish you all a peaceful, happy, auspicious, prosperous and fun-filled new year.  

Tip No. 3:  When taking Airasia, line up early and run fast or pay $20.00.

Flying via AirAsia was an experience in itself.

When we got to the AirAsia check-in counter, we discovered that no seats are assigned to you. Ergo, it is free seating. Thinking we were smart, Padma and I lined up early to ensure that we got to sit together. Apparently, lining up early was not all we needed to do to get the seats we wanted. We also had to run fast!

After we turned in our boarding pass at the gate, we noticed other passengers who were behind us in the line running ahead of us. Not wanting to be left behind, we also started running towards the plane. Then, most of the passengers started running! It was hilarious and I felt like I was participating in the Amazing Race. After that, I vowed that on my next trip on AirAsia, I would line up early and run faster. Of course, I could always opt to pay AirAsia an extra $ 20.00 to be given a five-minute lead to get to the plane ahead of everyone.  But nah, running is more fun.

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