VEGETABLES

The same vegetables can be found in the markets all year round. Contrary to what the vision of a still very rural Cambodia might lead one to hope, more than 70% of the market garden produce available on the stalls is imported from the three large neighboring producers, Vietnam, China and Thailand.

Market gardening in Cambodia is roughly limited to two periods of the year; rice is planted after the harvest in November, as well as during the months of April and May. If you therefore want to promote local production, it is during the period December-January and during the month of June that you will have the best chance of obtaining vegetables from Cambodian agriculture.

The south of Kandal province, helped by its proximity to Vietnam, whose agricultural techniques have been learned, and Battambang province are currently the regions that produce the most. Mondulkiri, benefiting from warmer temperatures than the rest of the country, is on the way to becoming an important region for the cultivation of vegetables.
 
Banana heart
BANANA HEART
Wax squash
WAX SQUASH
Cow bean
DOLIC BEAN
Konchaet
KONCHAET
Bamboo shoot
BAMBOO SHOOT
Green soybean
GREEN SOY
Water lily stem
LILY STEM
Trob gnor
TROB GNOR

BAMBOO SHOOT

Bamboo grows easily in all regions of the country, so it is naturally that we find bamboo shoots on the plates.

They are cooked in soup, Somlor Tompaing, in Kho, caramelized with pork or duck eggs, or in slightly acidic pickles, Tompaing Chhrouk.

Tompaing cream, or dried, are also cooked in Kho.

DOLIC BEAN (SONDAEK KOUR)

This bean, which can grow up to three feet in length, tastes relatively similar to classic green beans. Plants
whose leaves are similar to the green bean are climbing and rise to height of man, installed on wooden stakes.

Plantation of cowpeas in the courtyard of a Cambodian house - Angkor Borei, Takeo Province - Cambodia

We keep some beans that we dry, in order to plant the seeds that will allow new plants to grow.

Dried cow beans and seeds - Angkor Borei, Takeo Province - Cambodia

In Cambodia, it is consumed mainly as a raw food, accompanying grilled meat dishes, or dishes like Toek Krueng, Prohok, sometimes sautéed, with a little meat and Kroeung (mixture of spices).

It is also often used in the composition of sautéed rice, or sautéed with a little meat, most often pork or beef. Fried, in small bundles coated with dough, it can be found to be nibbled on on the market stalls.

Count between 2000 and 3000 riel for a kilo.

TROB GNOR

Trob Gnor are small vegetables from the eggplant family, of which there are many varieties in Cambodia. They grow in "clusters" on small shrubs with leaves similar to those of classic eggplants.

Trob Gnor, "Thai" peas - Kampot Province, Cambodia

About the size of a chickpea, these little eggplants, with a slightly crunchy skin and whose interior is made up of many tiny little seeds with a slightly bitter taste.

They are found in soups, such as Somlor Korko, curries, and it is also an important ingredient in Battambang-style Toek Krueng.

KONCHAET

Konchaet are cultivated in water. We actually use as a support aquatic plants, which floating on the surface of the water, make a good support for cultivating this plant.

Konchaet

This plant is cooked after having previously removed the kind of white envelope that surrounds the main stems. It is found in soups, Somlor Mchour Konchaet, sautéed with beef, or Trey Boeung Konchaet as an accompaniment to grilled river fish, with a sort of curry sauce.

In restaurants, you can find a Trey Boeung Konchaet between 20,000 and 30,000 riel depending on the size of the fish.

BANANA HEART

We know the heart of palm tree, but in Cambodia, it is the heart of banana that is found in the markets. Young, the heart of the banana tree with a whitish color is consumed mainly in soup, Somlor Mchour 

Daeum Chek.

The taste of the banana heart is not very pronounced, but its slightly crunchy texture is appreciated by Cambodians. It is generally cut into thin slices, added to a slightly acidic soup accompanied by fish. More rarely, we find the heart of banana prepared in a Phlear salad, embellished with very small freshwater prawns, Kompuh

Count 2000 riel for a "section" of heart of banana.

THE LILY STM

The water lily grows in lakes and ponds across the country. Not to be confused with the lotus, in Cambodia, however, we consume the part immersed in water of the stems of two flowers whose roots sink into the muddy bottoms of bodies of fresh water. Sometimes you have to dive several meters deep to get the consumable part.

The stems of lotus like those of water lily, are appreciated by Cambodians, sure to consume a "vegetable" guaranteed without chemical product. The latter are eaten raw, cut into thin slices in the typical Cambodian rice noodle soups Nom Bagn Chok, or in soup, in the so-called "sour" water lily stem soup Somlor Mchour Prolit

When raw, the water lily stem has a fairly discreet flavor, but with a crunchy texture. Cooked in soup, it gives a very particular flavor, very vegetal, to the broth.

Count around 2000 riel for a "bouquet" of water lily stems.

Green soybean

Green soybean, Sondaek Khiev, otherwise known as mung bean, has been cultivated in Cambodia for a very long time. The cultivation of this legume is appreciated by Cambodian peasants because it is short and does not require much water.

We get "bean sprouts" (wrongly named since these beans do not belong to the soybean family), which are found daily on our plates, raw, marinated, sautéed or lightly blanched.

Green soybeans are also appreciated by Cambodians prepared as a dessert. The beans are then cooked in "Bobor", a kind of sweet porridge with beans with a slightly pasty texture, embellished with palm sugar and coconut milk, served depending on the places slightly warm or cold.