snacks | askacambodian

Street Clams

Posted on June 14, 2015 by NUM IBBA Students

Clams are a kind of snack food here in Cambodia. Everyone here likes to eat clams with spices and more so with sausage, but that is more for a meal. Generally, we can buy them from sellers who use carts to sell their clams. There are four flavors that can be easily found for street clams – plain (normal) clams, salt clams, spicy-chili clams and spicy-lemon clams. The spicy ones are best.

Cart sellers sell one can of clams for about 1500 riel. They can be found easily by the markets, like Central Market in Phnom Penh or down big streets. People tend to buy a can or two and bite them open and drop the shells on the street. They should be eaten it when the weather is hot because then the clams’ meat will be cooked. If they are eaten when the clams are still cool or have a strong smell, it will make people have a bad stomach.

Clams are easy to find in the river or tributary here in Cambodia. They are easy to make too. Just buy freshwater clams or catch them from the river and put into boiling water. You can take them out immediately cause clams don’t have blood so it is easy and fast to cook. Then just mix some ingredients like salt, chili or spicy lemon to make them delicious. After that, take them to dry under the sun until it hot enough (about 15 minutes) than you can eat.

Kralan – Khmer Sticky Rice in Bamboo

Posted on June 12, 2015 by NUM IBBA Students

Kralan is a snack that is made from Cambodia sticky rice cooked with coconut milk and soybean in a bamboo tube. Kralan is very popular for Cambodian people as well as for foreigners. We can find it everywhere in Cambodia, but especially in the province and it is a bit harder to find in Phnom Penh city. Now, there are some sellers who come from the provinces to sell it in the city, but they cost higher than in the provinces. A tube of kralan cost about 2,000 to 4,000 riels, depending on the size. The most delicious kralan comes from the Kratie province and it is hard to get one tube of the sweet snack in Phnom Penh. Here are the steps on how to make it. First, we have to have all the ingredients like sticky rice, soy bean, coconut milk, sugar and salt. We have to soak the sticky rice and soybean for 2 hours then wash it with cleaned water. Secondly, take the bamboo tree to cut into pieces at it joints, so the tube has only one way out to put the rice. Then take the tube and clean it with water. The bamboo tree must be the bamboos that grow in village because it has long tubes, contains a lot of water and has white flesh inside the tube. Third, take the sticky rice and soybean and mix together with a little salt and sugar. Next, we have to put it into the tube and stuff it tight. If it is not tight, the kralan will become muddy. Then cover the tube surface with coconut hast or banana leaves – stuff these tight at the top. Last step, we have to take all the tubes that are filled with the sticky rice and ingredients to burn where the coals are spread in a long line.There is a shelf in the middle that the bamboo tubes are placed on at both side of the fire. All sides of the tubes must face the fire, so it is well cooked. It takes about 35 to 50 minutes because we cannot use too strong of a fire. After it is well cooked, take it to be cooled and then remove the outer layer of the tubes, which were burned. Finally, the Kralan is done and ready to eat!