A Cambodian chef is one of a few women looking to revive her culture’s nearly forgotten Khmer recipes; her recent cookbook, Saoy, was named ‘the best cookbook in the world’.
Cambodian (also known as Khmer) cuisine consists of subtle curries and fresh flavours, yet despite its palate-pleasing complexity, it has barely made it onto the international map. In recent years, however, this has begun to change, with contemporary female chefs making it their mission to preserve and share Khmer recipes and ingredients that were nearly lost during the brutal Khmer Rouge period of the 1970s, when many restrictions were placed on local foods, from eating to farming.
