THE FEMALE FACES
OF NEW KHMER CUISINE

Many chefs in Cambodia today celebrate the country’s traditional cuisine, viewing it as a way to preserve the nation’s culinary heritage amid an onslaught of new flavors and techniques introduced by globalization. A catalyst for human exchange, traditional gastronomy is a key link in Cambodia’s national identity and plays an unequivocal role in the country's international cultural influence. This living art in full revival sparkles like a beacon of innovation in the eyes of a growing generation of Cambodian cordons-bleus who take pride in their heritage.

Two stars of this culinary revival are Mariya Un Noun and Rotanak Ros, known as Chef Nak. Both chefs are fervent champions of the Cambodian culinary scene and figureheads of New Khmer Cuisine, a concept that echoes the New Khmer Architecture of the 1960s by the famous architect Van Molyvann.

Mariya Un Noun, a gentle person with a difficult past

A child from the slums of Phnom Penh, Mariya was sold at the age of 12 and forced to work to pay back a thug, from whom she eventually managed to escape. Her life took a decisive turn when a tuk tuk driver introduced her to Hannes Schmid, a philanthropist who in 2014 founded Smiling Gecko, an NGO dedicated to education and vocational training for disadvantaged communities in the Samaki Meanchey district of Kampong Chhnang Province, 65 km north of Phnom Penh.

It was here that Mariya began to discover her talents and develop a passion for the kitchen. After her first demonstration dinner delighted her mentor, Mariya was sent to Switzerland to train at five-star establishments such as the Widder Hotel in Zurich, the Gstaad Palace, and the Chedi in Andermatt. While there, she trained with Franck Giovannini, the first Swiss national to reach the Bocuse d’Or podium; Swiss ChefAlps Ambassador Andreas Caminada, who boasts three Michelin stars and 19 Gault Millau points; and Italian Massimo Bottura, one of the most talented chefs of his generation and recipient of three Michelin stars.

Mariya has forged a clear culinary identity for herself that combines her strong European influences with her distinctive personality. Her cuisine is deeply rooted in Khmer culinary traditions, using innovative modern techniques to infuse local ingredients with subtle bouquets.

This genius of the cooking pot teaches in the restaurant of the Farmhouse Resort & Spa, a complex of 34 charming rooms spread over 17 traditionally styled houses on stilts. The resort has a catering training center that is linked to the Smiling Gecko project. There, Mariya trains young aspiring chefs from underprivileged backgrounds, some of whom cannot read or write when they start out.

A few months ago, she launched her gastronomic concept Restaurant Un, which is already proving to be very successful. Mariya sends her diners on a “journey to the realms of Khmer cuisine” with a six-course menu of the same name, ensuring a symphony of taste as they move from one dish to the next towards the roots of New Khmer Cuisine.

Determined to represent a symbol of hope for the country's disadvantaged communities through her exemplary career, Mariya aims to promote her roots in all directions and establish Restaurant Un as one of Asia's top restaurants within five years.

Chef Nak, an archaeologist of gastronomy

Rotanak Ros was born in Phnom Penh in the 1990s at a time when the capital was booming after years of colonial domination, genocide, and civil war. Selling vegetables in the markets alongside her mother, she naturally developed a love of cooking thanks to the simple but tasty dishes cooked by her mother – a love that has shaped her life and is imprinted on her soul.

At 19, she was hired by the non-profit organization Cambodian Living Arts, which teaches traditional performing arts to the first post-Khmer Rouge generation. There, she realized that the art of the table deserved the same attention and effort to preserve cultural traditions.

The young Ros wondered about the foundations of Cambodian national identity and what it meant to be Cambodian after a period of such immeasurable loss. For her, the answer lay in the kitchen. Galvanized by a mission to reclaim her identity, Ros set out on a quest to recreate the flavors of bygone eras. She wandered the countryside, interviewing local chefs about the secrets of their most popular recipes. She compiled her anthropological findings in her 2019 book Nhum: Recipes from a Cambodian Home Kitchen, a work that serves as both a historical compendium and recipe book. In 2023, she published her second book, Saoy: Royale Cambodian Home Cuisine, a historical odyssey that weaves the rich tapestry of royal culinary culture and tradition.

The effects of globalization on the tastes of terroir are real. Younger generations are lured away from traditional cooking by modernity and its new flavors: spicy Thai dishes, American fast food, and the Mexican wave, among others. For the sake of time, some chefs are taking the liberty of defiling ancient recipes with contemporary variations, such as adding mayonnaise to a lemongrass fish salad – approaches that degrade the delicate balance of the original dish.

Chef Nak collaborates with organizations such as UNICEF and the World Food Programme to improve nutrition in Cambodia. To preserve the traditions of Cambodian cuisine, she has created her own personalized dining experience, Private Luxury Home Dining. The experience takes place in her antique-style wooden mansion with its vegetable garden on the banks of the picturesque Mekong River, a stone’s throw from Phnom Penh. Here, guests enjoy exquisite local cuisine made with fresh ingredients – including pandan leaves, cardamom, black ginger, prahok (fermented sour-salty fish paste), banana vinegar, dried ripe Cuban peppers, fermented soybeans, lemongrass tea, pickled limes and rice wine infused with seasonal fruits – all prepared using traditional techniques. The dining experience is enhanced by serenades performed by a local troupe, giving guests the feeling of attending a royal banquet. It is a truly unique experience that can be enjoyed over the course of a day or an overnight stay.


© Illustration credit: Serey Sot.


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In previous newsletters, we have evoked the enchanting coasts of south-central Vietnam with articles on its sacred cetaceans and Secret Indochina’s 2023 mission to Phu Yen province. In this edition, we return to south-central Vietnam with a stroll through Quy Nhon Valley, a place distinguished by its tropical bay and Cham towers that are mysterious remnants of the lost Vijaya kingdom.

Quy Nhon Valley stretches along the Song Con Valley in Binh Dinh province, over 50 km long and 10 km wide. To the east, the valley is enclosed by the Quy Nhon (Thi Nai) roadstead, Lang Mai Bay, and the Nui Da Den (Phuong Mai) promontory, which protects the city from typhoons. Quy Nhon is overlooked by Mount Nui Ba Hoa (285 m).

Quy Nhon is the modern name for the area, which has also been known as Thi Nai (the salt market), the port of Vijaya or Sin Tchéou, and Cri Vini in Champa times. Various fleets used the port as a rear base from which to attack the Vijaya capital 26 km to the northwest, including the Annamites, Cambodians, Mongols, and the Chinese admiral Yong Lo.

The Vijaya kingdom stretched across the plain formed by the lower reaches of the Con River, which was a strategic route for ascending the high plateau and establishing trade links with the highland confederations. At the same time, the valley’s fertile soil was excellent for rice cultivation, making it a suitable location for the emerging Indianized kingdom. This led to a relatively high concentration of population, and thus a relatively large number of temples. The Vijaya kingdom’s prosperity made it an attractive target. In March 1069, the Annamite naval army seized the port of Vijaya, and Sino-Mongolian troops occupied the area from 1282 to mid-1284. The Annamites once again invaded in 1377, and the Le dynasty annexed the kingdom in 1471.

Ruins of bucolic towers are all that remain of the Chams in Quy Nhon Valley today. They include Cha Ban and Tap Banh It towers, built on the slope of a rocky hill as were part of a larger cultural complex. The largest building is 23 m high and dates from the 11th and 12th centuries. The south and central towers are different from the typical tower of the time, especially in the composition of the top. The upper storey is raised in a curvilinear pyramid instead of a succession of steps and is decorated with carvings. The large tower at the top of the hill has four doors that open to the cardinal points, similar to a dome or triumphal arch. In this tower sits a ten-armed Çiva, wearing a tiara and his legs crossed in a blossoming lotus. On his bare chest a snake unfurls, raising its head towards that of the god. The statue was carved from fine-grained black granite and is the only one of its kind in the area. This Çiva was brought back to France in 1884, while other Cha Ban chame sculptures were lost in a shipwreck in the Red Sea.

The Ivory Towers is a group of three towers located 8 km from Cha Ban in the middle Nam An valley. They are raised on a slight incline. The construction of these sanctuaries appears to have been inspired by Khmer prasat forms. These monuments are much taller, more elaborate, and better preserved than the two towers in the valley. They are adorned with apsaras, standing lions, monsters and mythological animals. The corners feature enormous dragon heads and grimacing figures. The bases are embellished with granite ornaments depicting elephants and nagas, while a series of bas-reliefs runs above the doors.

The Golden Tower, known as Thôc Lôc or the Cambodian Tower, rises from a wooded hillside and is accessed via a small rocky path. Sculptures by Ganeca can still be seen on the tower.

Also of note is the Binh Lam fortress, an ancient Cham fortification. In 1283, Sino-Mongol troops attacked the fortress, then known as Mou Lchreng (Môc Thanh). At the time, a causeway pierced by granite slab aqueducts crossed the rice fields and led to the fortress. Its stronghold stood on a mound located between the four enclosures of the fortress. Broad glacis bordered by wide ditches, of which only sections remain today, surrounded by stone ramparts made of thick, solid wood. Small mounds stood outside each of the four corners of the fortress, corresponding with similar mounds on the inside. These mounds were undoubtedly linked to form an advanced work. Today, the remains of bas-reliefs and lingas bear witness to an ancient civilization.

Last but not least, the valley is home to the Gothic-style Lang Son Catholic monastery. It is known as the first printing press for Quoc Ngu, the Vietnamese writing system based on the Latin alphabet and introduced by Alexander of Rhodes.


© Photograph credit: W. Robert Moore, National Geographic.

                           

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A Hinduized Phnong

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Old Khmer and Sanskrit

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Profession: epigraphist

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It all started at the end of the 19th century with the French protectorate. The forest of temples that is Cambodia speaks to the aesthete, not to the historian who needs to analyze, date, reconstruct, and explain sequences of events. For this, texts are needed. There is considerable literature from Chinese travelers and chroniclers who provide us with valuable information, but not at the same level as the inscriptions.

Cambodian epigraphy was born at that time as an auxiliary science of history, dedicated to language as well as the study of inscriptions for historical purposes. Notable experts in the field included Louis Finot, Etienne Aymonier, Au Chieng, and Georges Coedès, who published the first volume of his Inscriptions of Cambodia in 1937 in Hanoi. This volume was followed by six others published in France, and the series ended in 1966 with the publication of volume VIII. The École Française d’Extrême Orient (EFEO) played a key role, and its Journal (BEFEO) began publishing, translating and commenting on inscriptions from 1904.