Num Banh Chok
| Num Banh Chok | |
|---|---|
| Khmer name | នំបញ្ចុក |
| Other names | Num banhchok; Nom banh chok; Khmer noodles; Num pachok |
| Dish types | Noodle dish |
| Subjects | Food & Foodways; Literature & Storytelling |
| Related dishes | Kroeung |
Lightly fermented Cambodian rice noodles served with a fish-based kroeung gravy, herbs and raw vegetables.
Num Banh Chok (Khmer: នំបញ្ចុក) is lightly fermented Cambodian rice noodles served with a fish-based kroeung gravy, herbs and raw vegetables. (Wikipedia: Num banhchok)
Cultural context
Num banhchok is a lightly fermented Cambodian rice noodle dish usually eaten for breakfast and sometimes for lunch, made from rice and prahok, with banhchok translating as "to feed" in Khmer. (Wikipedia: Num banhchok) The dish features in a popular Khmer folk legend about the scholar Thon Chey, who was exiled to China by the Khmer king and made num banhchok to make a living there. (Wikipedia: Num banhchok) A royal version, num banhchok samlor makod, containing chicken livers, Cognac and green peas, was included in Princess Rasmi Sobhana's 1965 The Cambodian Cookbook, published by the American Women's Club of Cambodia. (Wikipedia: Num banhchok) Fresh noodles are still made daily by hand by families of artisanal noodle makers throughout Cambodia, and the dish is sold at market stalls, by mobile vendors and at small local eateries. (Grantourismo) Asia Society Korea recorded it as the favourite food of Chring Botum Rangsay, Cambodia's ambassador to South Korea. (Asia Society Korea)
Preparations and recipes
- Matthew Fennell, Asia Society Korea
- Fresh rice noodles with a fish and coconut cream curry, thickened by pounding poached fish into an aromatic paste.(partial instructions)
Regional and community variations
The Kampot style uses dried shrimp, coconut cream and fish sauce, while the Siem Reap style uses more garlic and is served with a sweeter fish sauce; both share fresh rice noodles and a fish-based green curry seasoned with lemongrass, ginger, turmeric and garlic. (Asia Society Korea) Most gravies are yellow-green and built on yellow or green kroeung, and diners choose herbs, foraged leaves, edible flowers and seasonal vegetables from a basket at the table. (Grantourismo)