Mee Kola
| Mee Kola | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Mi Kola; Kola noodles |
| Dish types | Noodle dish |
| Subjects | Food & Foodways; Migration & Diaspora; History & Remembrance |
| Related dishes | Num Banh Chok; Tuk Trey |
Pailin rice vermicelli dish of the Kola community, dressed with sweet and sour fish sauce and many garnishes.
Mee Kola is a Pailin rice vermicelli dish of the Kola community, dressed with sweet and sour fish sauce and many garnishes. (Embassy of Cambodia in the United Kingdom)
Cultural context
The Cambodian Embassy in London states that the dish also known as Mi Kola came from the Kula people and is well known as one of the Battambang Province signature dishes, and that it originally came from Battambang, served as mixed noodles with shredded vegetables dressed in sweet and sour fish sauce. (Embassy of Cambodia in the United Kingdom) Curious Cuisiniere describes mee kola as a rice noodle dish from Pailin, Cambodia, believed to have originated with the local Kola community, who gradually resettled in what is now Pailin Province and maintained and developed their culture, folklore and cuisine there. (Curious Cuisiniere) Kola cuisine shows Shan, Mon and Burmese influences, particularly in desserts, auspicious dishes and the popularity of rice noodles, while the pickled vegetables and nuoc mam point to Cambodian influence, and people of the region traditionally eat mee kola for breakfast, mainly in morning markets. (Curious Cuisiniere) Nineteenth-century records mention the Taungthu, or Hill Men, brought from the bordering Shan state to work gem mines near the Cambodian border, who later became known as Kola or Kula, a term meaning Indian or foreigner. (Curious Cuisiniere) Global News describes mee kola as a northern Cambodian noodle dish. (Global News)
Preparations and recipes
- Curious Cuisiniere
- Rice vermicelli tossed with fried garlic oil, nuoc mam and dried shrimp powder, served with quick pickles, egg, herbs and peanuts.
Regional and community variations
Curious Cuisiniere notes the vegetables and herbs are fresh and seasonal and that seasonal market vegetables or nearby alternatives may be substituted. (Curious Cuisiniere) The Global News version dresses the noodles with a palm sugar, vinegar, lemongrass and lime sauce and offers tofu or soy curls as optional protein. (Global News)