Mini-car made in Cambodia

Cambodian business Heng Development Co Ltd is planning to invest up to US$20 million to build a car factory to manufacture hybrid electric vehicles, according to a company director.

Seang Chan Heng, general director of Heng Development, claimed the company was forming a joint venture with a German firm to support the new project, but declined to name the partner until the official launch.

Construction of the factory was expected to begin next month on a 20-hectare plot of land in Kandal Strung, 20 kilometres south of Phnom Penh, and would be finished within six months, she told The Post Wednesday.

“We hope that this new auto-maker factory will be able to produce mini-cars for sale in local and international markets,” she said.

The company has two mini-passenger car models – a two-seater and a four-seater.

Nhean Pholet, a well-known mini-car maker in Cambodia, has been employed by Heng Development, which until now has only sold and distributed tractors, cement and land.

He said the company’s mini-car model will follow the models that he previously produced himself, including the finger-print-scanner doors which can recognise 60 finger prints and use an electronic card, instead of a metal key, to start the engine.

“We are motivated by many consumers with our new car design and hope that we will be able to produce more cars for sale in the future,” he said.

Seang Chan Heng said the factory would employ about 300 workers and produce up to 1,000 plug-in electric hybrid vehicles in the first year, using parts imported from Germany, Japan and Hong Kong.

The starting price for the final product would be about US$5,000 for the two-seater in the local market.

She was confident there would be demand for the cars and expected the first batch would be ready for purchase in 2012.

“Our partners have already ordered about 1,000 vehicles from us, so we aren’t worried about having a market for our products,” she said.

Heng Sophorn, director of the Department of Industry at the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy, said on Wednesday he welcomed the establishment of the factory, highlighting that it signaled progress in Cambodia’s industry sector.

“We highly appreciate this kind of car production because it doesn’t only reduce cost, but it also helps to reduce the impact on the environment,” he said, adding that it was the first of its kind in Cambodia.

Source: the phnom penh post

The contamination usually arises from improper handling, preparation, or food storage, Taing Tek Hong, a Florida-based physician, told “Hello VOA” Thursday.

Bacteria can cause food poisoning in two different ways. Some infect the intestines and other bacteria produce chemicals in foods known as toxins. He said bacteria such as staphylococcus produce a toxin in foods, while salmonellae causes food poisoning.

Campylobacter is the most commonly identified food-borne bacterial infection in the world. Campylobacter is transmitted by raw poultry, raw milk and water contaminated by animal feces.

Shigella is transmitted in water polluted with human wastes, Taing Tek Hong said. E. coli is transmitted by eating undercooked hamburger, unpasteurized milk or juices, or contaminated well water.

Giardia is a mild illness with watery diarrhea often lasting one to two weeks. It is transmitted by drinking contaminated water from lakes or streams. The infection can be spread from person to person by food or other items contaminated with feces from an infected person.

Symptoms of food poisoning typically begin several hours after ingestion and can include nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache, or fatigue, the doctor said. However, food-borne illness can result in permanent health problems or death, especially in babies, young children, pregnant women, the elderly and sick people.

Other causes of food illness can include the use of pesticides by fruit vendors, which can cause mild to severe illness with weakness, blurred vision, headache, cramps and diarrhea.

Most food poisoning can be prevented, the doctor said.

“To avoid food poisoning you need to follow the general safe food-handling tips such as washing hands before, during and after preparation and serving food,” he said. “Wash cutting boards frequently, use a clean plate or utensil for cooked meats, keep raw meat and poultry separate from other foods. Do not re-use items that held raw meat. Cool foods rapidly after preparation. Cook food thoroughly to kill bacteria.”

Source: VOA Khmer

• Boil fish head for about 20 minutes and when cool remove the flesh and innards from the bones and break into small pieces. Blanch bean sprouts for 1 minutes, then set aside.
• Remove chi leaves from the stems, then julienne cucumber.
• Wrap the prahok in a banana leaf (or foil) and grill. Then dissolve the prahok in 1tbsp hot water and strain. Use the prahok stock as the dressing base and discard the rest.
• In a clay mortar coarsely pound the garlic, shallots, zest of lime and chili. Then add the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar.
• When all the ingredients are well mixed add to the prahok stock and stir.
• In a large salad bowl toss the fish, cucumber, bean sprouts and herbs and add the dressing.
• This nhoam can be eaten alone as a salad or served with steamed rice with bird chillies on the side.

Ingredients:

• 300 g head of sanday fish
• ½ cup chi
• ½ cup cucumber, julienned
• 1 cup bean sprouts

Dressing:

• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 shallots
• 1 tbsp prahok (optional)
• zest of ¼ kaffir lime
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• bird chilies

Add the catfish whole to the prohok soup and cook for 15 minutes or untill well done. Then take out of the pan, cool and remove skin and bones, before crubling fish. Set aside.

Make the kroeung in a clay mortar. Then pound thoroughly with the fish, before adding to the prohok soup. Stir in well and season with sugar and fish sauce.

Serve hot or cold with fresh cold rice noodles and crunchy vegetables such as cucumber, bean sprouts, banna blossom, basil and mint, and ph’leou kang-kep.

Note: It is possible to adapt the recipe and replace 1 cup of water with 1 cup of coconut milk. The milk is added to the boiling water before the prohok.

Ingredients:

• Rice noodles
• 300g catfish (or other meaty fish
• 1 tbsp prohok
• 5 cups water

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup lemongrass stalk,
• sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp rhizome, cut small
• 1 tbsp turmeric, cut small
• zest of ¼ kaffir lime
• 1 tbsp roasted ground peanuts
• ½ tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar

Khmer Food

At the present, most of Cambodians like eating Bok L’hong food but some do not know how to make it. Right now, tips of how to make it will be given to you. What you have to do is to use the back of a spoon in a small bowl, break up the fermented soy beans, before adding fish sauce, sugar, water, vinegar and salt to make the dressing. Browning shallots, garlic and ginger and then set aside, and then frying fish until it is golden and crispy.

And then you have to mix the fish with the shallots, garlic, ginger and drizzle dressing over the top. This dish can be served either hot or cold.

Ingredients:

• 100 g green papaya, grated
• 1 smoked fish (about 50 g)
• 1 tsp prahok
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1-2 tbsp lime juice
• 1-2 bird chilies
• Kantrup leaves

Amok

Do you know how to make Amok? Now, we just give you some tips about how to make it. Amok is a Cambodia curry which is steamed instead of boiled and is boiled, but moist. Traditionally, there are two types of Amok: one cooked with fish and steamed in banana leaf cups, simply known as Amok, while the other, made from snails steamed in their shells, is known as Amok chouk

Most of larger restaurants throughout the country, several adaptations exist such as Amok steamed in coconut shells, pumpkin or taro. Often, cabbage is used as a substitute for nhor (morinda citrifolia) while in addition to fish, seafood Amok can often be found.

Ingredients:

• 400g catfish (or any meaty fish)
• ¾ cup coconut cream
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 dried red chillies, soaked, drained and chopped into a paste
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp galangal, cut small
• 1 tbsp lemon grass stalk
• zest of ¼ kaffir lime
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp kapi
• 300g young nhor leaves
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp kaffir lime leaves, sliced thinly
• 3 cayenne peppers
• banana leaves to make cups

Sieng Tan, owner of La Volpaia Pizzeria, which opened in May, is married to Dith Pran’s daughter Hemkarey and said he has many fond memories of his famous father-in-law.

“Even though he worked full time for the New York Times until he died last year, he still found time to make speeches about his experiences and I admire him for that.

“He really liked food, every time he came to visit us he just wanted to go to a nice restaurant.”

Sieng Tan left Cambodia in 1972 at the age of 17 to study in the US and avoid being drafted into the army. He lived mostly in Maryland, working in accounting, but recently decided to return to his homeland and set up a restaurant.

The Siem Reap branch of La Volpaia is the fourth to open, following others in Tokyo, Seoul and Phnom Penh. The organisation is something of a family affair, with the Seoul and Phnom Penh outlets run by Sieng Tan’s sister-in-law and brother, respectively.

(The original article is from the Phnom Penh Post)

Tonle Bassac Restaurant

Tonle Bassac Restaurant located at No. 177, street Mao Tse Tong, Sangkat Toul Svay Prey, Phnom pen.

Tonle Bassac Restaurant

NEM has been made from hashed fish meat wrapped in banana leaves. The element of making NEM is fish meat; toasted rice, ginger, star gooseberry leaves, banana leaves, chilies, sugar, salt and seasoning.

NEM can be eaten as a snack or with rice according to your interest.

Khmer Product: NEM

The 23-year-old owner of the all-vegetarian Sun I Miser Hor admits her family tricked their customers into trying their food. She said they used a need-to-know policy – basically, they didn’t tell clients that the dishes they ate consisted of “meats” made mostly from mushroom or tofu. Otherwise, she says, the family feared customers would leave.

In those early days, the restaurant never even referred to the word “vegetarian”. From a marketing standpoint, it would be the restaurant’s so-called unique selling point, but at the time they thought it could also be a liability that people dining out wouldn’t accept it.

“In 1997, everybody wanted to eat meat, which they believed empowered them,” Chou Yin Ling said.

After a time, she said, customers became more familiar – and appreciative – of Sun I Miser Hor’s veggie cuisine. She says the restaurant is popular with teens, and they serve about 200 people a day, mostly through word-of-mouth.

Chou Yin Ling says: “Young Cambodians nowadays have a new point of view. They acknowledge that eating vegetables is also good for them.”
Expanding from its original two dishes, noodle soup and fried noodles, Sun I Miser Hor now offers up to 100 different dishes, including faux-fishball soup (2,000 riels), mushroom burger (4,500 riels), a vegetarian steak and rice set (5,000 riels), and a rice set with a mock-chicken “drumstick” (5,000 riels).

Although Sun I Miser Hor also serves its share of fried fast-food goodies, Yin Ling notes that vegetarianism is not only about being health conscious but it “also saves animals’ lives”.

Originally from Taiwan, Chou Yin Ling says that her cooking preparation and use of ingredients come from her Chinese heritage, but that she is largely self-taught.

Yseav Buoy, a 20-year-old high-school student, said she often comes to the vegetarian restaurant with friends after class. She said the benefit of eating vegetarian is that it helps her keep a beautiful figure, as the low-cholesterol content of the food on offer helps her avoid putting on weight.
Addicted

Her classmate, Sok Channy, 19, says she went veg six months after her friends introduced her to Sun I Miser Hor. She said she got tired of eating meat and has become a self-confessed addict of veggie food.

“The cooks make mushrooms that look a lot like real meat, so I eat them instead,” she said.
Now she says she’s keen to learn how to make the veggie food she’s grown so fond of – and she expects to prepare it for her family someday.

(The original article is from The Phnom Penh Post)