weekend in siem reap

Those of you that follow me on twitter will know that I recently went on a trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia. I had never been to Cambodia and really didn't know what to expect. The purpose of our visit, as it is for many, was to visit the temple 'ruins' of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and around. We spent our days cycling around on rental bikes stopping to explore the temples that we found along the way. It was wonderful being out of hectic city life and being reminded that there is another life beyond the city.

Of course no visit anywhere is complete with out some foodie treats. So in the evenings we headed into the town in search of food and drink. Siem Reap is a relatively small city but there are lots of great food options there to be found. As we were only in the country for a few days and it was my first visit, I wanted to get an understanding of Cambodian food and flavours. On our first night we enjoyed a great dinner at the Cambodian BBQ. There are similar versions of this dining experience around the region but here they bring a bucket of hot coals to your table, put a kind of hot pot / griddle over the heat and then bring you dishes of meat, vegetables, noodles and rice. The idea is to grill the meat over the central part of the griddle allowing the cooking juices to fall down into the moat of stock below. In the mean time you would be cooking fresh rice oodles and pieces of pumpkin or other vegetables in the developing broth, occasionally ladling some out to eat. The waiting staff will keep topping up your noodle, vegetable and broth supplies until you can take no more! It's a great fun and sociable way to eat and I'll definitely be seeking out other Cambodian style BBQ places when I get chance.

The next night we wanted to try some classic Khmer cooking and headed to The Sugar Palm. This is considered to be one of the best restaurants in Siem Reap and Gordon Ramsey has even visited to learn how to cook traditional amok.

Anyway, we had cycled the best part of 30 miles and felt we had earned a feast for dinner so ordered plenty. We enjoyed the Beef Skewers marinated with lemongrass, pomelo salad with pork, shrimp, mint and coconut, chargrilled aubergine/eggplant with pork and finally Amok Trey. Every dish we had at The Sugar Palm was delicious and next time we're in Siem Reap I will definitely be coming back. 

Check out my version of amok trey here. 

Amok Trey

Spring Rolls

herby orange barbecued chicken

This recipe started life as an experimental marinade for some chicken we were grilling for a recent barbecue. It was so tasty I felt I should share it.

Ingredients
Juice and zest of an orange
2 skin on chicken breasts (thighs and legs would also work well)
couple of sprigs of tarragon
1 tsp dried oregano
sprinkle of chili flakes (optional)
sprinkle of fennel seeds
1 tbsp agave syrup/maple syrup/brown sugar/honey
1 tbsp oil
2 whole, peeled cloves of garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
salt & pepper

Slash the chicken in several places taking care not to go all the way through. This will help cover more of it with the marinade and speed up the cooking process.
Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a container large enough to also hold the chicken.
Put the chicken in the marinade making sure it is worked into the meat. Cover then leave to marinate for about 20-30 minutes.
Heat up the grill, griddle pan or barbecue.
Place the chicken on to the hot grill flesh side down (or up if you are using a traditional grill) for 3-5 minutes until it leaves cleanly away from the grill.
Turn the chicken so that it is skin side down and cook for about 10 minutes or so until the skin is golden and crispy and the juices run clear.

Serve with a simple salad and some flat bread rice salad.

easy mint and garlic sauce

This sauce goes brilliantly with my lamb kebabs or any other grilled food. Feel free to do as you wish with it. I tried it with some monkfish and salmon skewers and it was ace too. You can use any type of yogurt but I suggest you avoid set yogurts. There is also no need to go for full fat versions here, you are adding a lot of flavour so it seems a shame to waste the calories.
This is also another recipe in which it is best to use dried rather than fresh mint. I discovered this when reading one of my favourite recipe books from the Turkish restaurant, Sofra. Enjoy.

Ingredients
small pot of low fat natural yogurt. (I used this one.)
1-2 tsps dried mint
1 clove of garlic, crushed (optional)
salt to taste
pepper

Mix all the ingredients and adjust to your taste. Not everyone likes the taste or pungency of raw garlic so add as much or as little as you like.

tasty easy lamb kebabs

We've recently come back from a weekend camping trip and were lucky enough to have glorious weather the whole time. As the campsite provided fire pits with cooking grills I decided to make the most of it and cook up an outdoor feast of lamb kebabs and grilled veggies. I can't help thinking that I was inspired to cook lamb because I was in a field of sheep!

You can't beat the flavour you get in these kebabs if you are able to barbecue them but they can also be cooked at home in a ridged griddle pan. To make them in to a meal add your favourite combination of flat bread, grilled veg, aubergine puree, hummus, yogurt dressing and chili sauce (this one is my current favourite). YUM

Ingredients

400g lean lamb mince (you can use the full fat version but this still has more than enough fat in it)

2-4 tsp harissa paste

1 tsp dried mint (it really is much better than fresh in this recipe)

red chilli flakes (optional)

small onion, finely chopped or grated

salt & pepper

Skewers (if you are using wooden ones make sure they are soaked in water for at least 30 mins)

Makes 6-8 kebabs depending on size.

1. Preheat your griddle pan if cooking indoors or make sure you barbecue/fire is glowing hot and ready to cook on.
2. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, hands work best but use a spoon if you must.
3. Divide the mix into 6-8 portions in the bowl then take each portion and form into long sausage shapes around the skewers. You don't have to use the skewers but it does make it easier to turn the kebabs. If you don't use skewers feel free to shape the lamb however you wish.
4. Place the kebabs on the very hot grill/griddle pan and don't move them around or turn them until they are nicely browned and come away easily from the grill. Once they can be moved, rotate them so that they are cooked evenly. you want them to be nice a golden brown all round - not burnt.