Most people struggle to describe Cambodian cooking. Chef Rotanak Ros starts by saying what it is not.
“Cambodian cuisine is not survival food,” the 39-year-old Ros told me. Popularly known as “Chef Nak,” the celebrity chef is an energetic advocate of Cambodian, or Khmer, cuisine. She collaborates with the staff at Brasserie Louis at Rosewood Phnom Penh, in the Cambodian capital, and partners with the hotel to offer epicurean experiences (private cooking classes, market tours, and food-focused homestays) in her hometown of Prek Loung, a 40-minute drive away.
Ros has also published two cookbooks that delve into some of Cambodia’s most iconic dishes. As part of her research, she spent 19 years crisscrossing her country, coaxing villagers to share recipes for half-forgotten dishes. She fears that unless work like hers continues, Khmer food traditions will be lost over the coming generations.
In full: https://www.travelandleisure.com/khmer-cuisine-phnom-penh-cambodia-8673465
