Perhaps the greatest Indian food, or at least fighting it out with Masala Dosa. The mixture is fermented rice and daal (lentils) but the result is something like an Indian pancake. This is accompanied with spicy or sweet chutnies, instead of butter and syrup.
I just downed seven of this batch of idlis in Bangalore. Definitely the best idilis I’ve ever eaten, courtesy of one of my new aunties.
Sandwiched by the twin food powers of Vietnam and Thailand, you’d think it would be difficult for Cambodia to carve out its own food identity. And there are certainly influences of both cuisines in Khmer food…or is it the other way around? According to Cambodians, many of the noodle dishes Thailand is known for are actually-Khmer influenced. So maybe we should be call it Pad Cambodia?
A Cambodian Noodle Dish.
Let’s not inflame additional South East Asian tensions because there’s plenty of Cambodian-specific dishes that hold their own, including amok, lok lak and more. The standard ingredients are the same as other South East Asian locations—noodles, rice, minced meats, coconut, tamarind, chilis etc. However I found that the Cambodian food made enough local variations to create it’s own cuisine. Sure you can get fish in a banana leaf with coconut milk, probably in lots of different countries, and not just Asia, but rather than laska’s more sour taste, amok retains a refreshing sweetness. Lok Lak, which is basically pepper beef with rice, is made great by the native Cambodian black pepper. When freshly ground it adds a pungent aroma and flavor to the beef and gravy combination.
Delicious Amok: Fish Curry with Coconut Milk
Food was cheap in Cambodia so I was able to eat in large portions, usually ordering a fried noodle dish and meat dish for dinner. With a couple of Angkor or Anchor beers, a meal was around 10$, which is an obscene amount for one of the poorest countries on Earth. But what can I say, I’m a fatass.
I already noted the cockroaches and beef with ants I ate during my time in Cambodia, but I only scratched the surface of weird eating available, particular in Phnom Penh. Snake vendors, cricket vendors, cockroach hawkers and more ply their trade on the shores of the Mekong. From the looks of it, they didn’t seem to be making toooo many sales, so note that if you pick up a fried snake, it may have been last week’s kill.
The Good: Very solid consistency in the Khmer food, there were few truly bad dishes. Every meal I felt satisfied, although, again, this could be related to the splurging. The French colonial influence reared its head for the first time, so I was able to get some good Western cuisine in the beach tourist outpost of Sihaounikville, including a pretty incredible breakfast made by a Parisian ex-pat with baguettes and jam. Even in the tourist traps, the food was incredibly cheap.
The Meh: The street food was underwhelming…a bunch of ducks and meats hanging from posts of questionable age and origin. Unlike Thailand, there were not a ton of street vendors, although there were some makeshift curbside restaurants where an auntie would whip up something in the wok for you like a ramen. I didn’t find any Cambodian desserts that inspired my pallet although I wasn’t adventurous.
The Ugly: Tourist focused restaurants generally took the spice and flavor out of the dishes—I had some seriously terrible lok lak my last night in Phnom Penh. I also took a bunch of buses in Cambodia and avoided eating at pretty much every stop since the food seemed old and not of the greatest hygiene. On the plus side, I’ve lost 8 pounds on this trip.
Best Dishes: Other than the aforementioned beef with ants, lok lak and amok, some fried chicken with lemongrass I ate on one of my many sojourns to the Angkor temples. The fresh lemongrass flavors and sauces made a party in my mouth.
Weirdest Dish: Clearly the cockroaches. But I also ate a dried fish and mango salad that was pretty unpleasant. I understand the flavor that’s aimed for, the saltiness of the dried fish against the sweetness of the mango, but it really didn’t do anything for me.
Overall score: A pleasant surprise, I recommend Khmer food. Only the lack of truly great dishes holds it back.
3.5 stomachs.
“All travel is preparation for traveling in India.” The wise words of a veteran traveler who gave me advice as I was planning for this trip. I’ve dialed down the independence on this trip, since I’ve been traveling with my girlfriend, her mother and brother. There are more tours, nicer hotels, and fewer language barriers than at most points in my journey.
Kerala Coast at sunset
And I’m fine with it. Because every time you step outside a house or hotel you enter a kind of madness unlike any I’ve seen in the world. Simply crossing the street involves taking your life in your hands, let alone getting in a car. The current city I’m in, Hyderabad, appears to have built traffic lights but not plugged them in. Cars, auto-rickshaws, buses, trucks, taxis, motorcycles, push-rickshaws, pedestrians, beggars and yes, cows, battle for limited space, inching their way towards untold points. By the time you reach your destination, you’re invariably sweating, and it’s not because of the 90 degree heat.
Wandering India’s streets also reinforces the strange gender dynamic between men and women. Indian women are brilliantly dressed, classy and generally beautiful. Indian men are dirty creepsters. Maybe it’s the mustaches, or the dorky clothes. Ok no really it’s only one thing, the stares. Indian men stare at least 7 seconds longer than is culturally acceptable.
A day out here can bring highs and lows, the most beautiful buildings and palaces out of a movie set, constant negotiation with drivers and guides to avoid ripoffs, horrific poverty, cow shit, tasty spicy food and several near heart attack moments. It’s fun, it’s exhilarating it’s exhausting.
And I have two and a half more weeks of it. One by myself.
Shiva help me.
Laap, perhaps the signature Laos dish, combines usually either ground water buffalo or fish with a blend of chilis, ginger and herbs. The freshness of the mountain herbs give it an almost minty taste—its an earthy dish which reflects the mountain agriculture climate of Northern Laos. Usually mixed with sticky rice, it’s usually a good dish, but not often great.
Imagine then, that the best laap I had came not with buffalo or fish, or even chicken or pork but wild mushrooms. If only my veggie girlfriend had been there to enjoy! I ate this dish my last night in Laos in the sleepy capital city Vientiane, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for a calmer side of Asia. I was lucky to stay with an incredibly gracious host who had lived in Laos for three years and knew all the best restaurants. Below is my plate, full of both beef and mushroom laap (mushroom on the left.)
What made the mushroom laap standout for me was the high quality of the mushrooms as well as the way the subtler mushrooms brought out the flavor of the fresh herbs and chilis. What resulted was a flavor explosion of bitter and sour tastes, with a hint of sweetness from the mushrooms. Pair with some sticky rice and you have a truly great dish.
Ok so Tao obviously isn’t too unknown since there were a bunch of Westerners on it and the company is well featured on TripAdvisor and other travel sites. But I still think the Philippines is somewhat of an overlooked location in terms of travel for most Americans and the experience was awesome enough that it’s work mentioning.
The main open cruise goes for four nights from El Nido to Coron (or vice versa.) I’ve already written about how remote El Nido is, but what this trip does it let you get a taste for true island isolation. You spend your days on an outrigger boat built by two of the company owners, cruising around the Baicut Archipelago. You spend the night on various islands, either at villages or encampments that are owned by the company or partnerships with locals. In four nights, I slept in a tent, thatched hut and cabin.
That being said, it’s not too rough, because you don’t have to exert yourself that much. Your general day involves sitting on the deck, reading a book, having a few beers and maybe mixing in a few swims, snorkels or mini-hikes. You are fed high quality food multiple times a day. It’s pampering with a roughing-it paint job. Don’t expect a hot shower, but I mean come on, they even have Western toilets.
Three things made the trip special for me. One was the scenery—as ocean travel goes, this was pretty close to untouched nature as you get. Yes everyone has cell phones, even on the island. Yes fishing has definitely hurt the environment and the reefs. But did I see dolphins, turtles, clownfish, lion fish, monkeys and snakes? Yes. Picturesque jungles, coconut trees and limestone cliffs pass so frequently you almost become numb. The snorkeling can compete with anywhere including the Great Barrier Reef. And you get your fill of caves, lagoons and isolated beaches. Not to mention sunrises.
Second, my co-travelers. This was the nicest group of people I’ve ever traveled with hailing from all over the world. I got extremely lucky as everyone was in my age group, slightly older, eager to learn and still willing to party hard while accepting those who decided to turn in at 830 PM for a good night’s sleep. I can’t promise everyone else will get so lucky on their trip, so that’s something to consider.
Third were the Filipino people we met. This started foremost with the crew, from spunky Queen Bee Zaza to Denden, Ad, Gio, Majio, Eddie and the rest who made our lives easy and became our friends. But also the villagers we met along the way. Everyone was welcoming and gracious for allowing us into their homes and villages with kindness and just the right amount of curiosity.
The company has the right attitude about using tourism as a way to help local people earn more money while preserving culture, the environment and heritage. This is important and difficult, in many ways I think they are fighting an impossible fight. Some of the islands of Palawan will fall into the hands of resorts and global billionaires who want their own islands complete with caviar and helipads. Maybe that will be good too. Development will certainly bring more money to the impoverished regionalthough whose hands it goes into and whether the price is fair are important questions with disturbing answers.
The trip cost about 450 US, which isn’t cheap in a country where you can easily bum at the beach in a hostel, eat and get lit up for less than 20 dollars (or 10 if you try hard.) But in my opinion was absolutely worth every penny and I can’t wait to do it again, some day. More Power.