Mouth watering Malaysian kopitiam street food comes to Phnom Penh
RECOGNISING t he potentia l of Phnom Penh’s tourism scene and its large expat population, Malaysian home-grown kopitiam (coffee shop) franchise PappaRich has opened its first outlet in t he capita l’s Tuol Kork dist r ict.
PappaRich Cambodia recreates t he t radit iona l rustic kopitiam experience in an air-conditioned setting, bringing t he best of Malaysian st reet food to Cambodia.
A sight not to be missed when v isit ing PappaRich Cambodia is the making of Malaysia’s nationa l drink teh tarik, with its name deriv ing from the pouring process of “pulling” ( tarik) the drink to create t he perfect blend of black tea and condensed milk.
Another popular delicacy, often referred to as Malaysia’s nationa l dish, is nasi lemak, which is ser ved with ikan bilis (fried anchovies), peanuts, sliced cucumber, hard-boiled egg and spicy sambal (Malaysian chil li paste).
The prices for nasi lemak range f rom $7 to $ 9, with the cost depending on t he customer’s choice of prawn, squid, beef or chicken to go with the aromatic rice steamed in coconut milk.
Alt hough it is often considered a brea k fast dish in Malaysia, it can be eaten at any time of t he day.
The restaurant’s general genera l manager Moeun Bunlong said: “Locals might have the wrong perception that nasi lemak’s taste is too strong to go a long wit h ot her spices or as a side dish.
“However, most of them change t heir opinion af ter t they hey taste t he staple Malaysian dish. That’s why we have returning customers coming back just to savour t he dish again as t hey love the creamy texture and the fragrance of t he rice.”
For those with a bigger appetite, they t hey can enjoy coconut milk rice ser ved with f ried chicken, curr y chicken or rendang (spicy meat stew).
Another regiona lly wellknown Malaysian dish is char kway teow, which litera l ly tra nslates to wok-fried flat rice noodles.
A high-selling dish at PappaRich Cambodia, the best char kway teow in Malaysia is found in t he Pearl of t he Orient — Penang — and any trip to Malaysia’s nort hern state is i ncomplete without hav ing tasted t his popular street food.
In fact, t he famed Siam Road char kway teow in Penang was named one of the top 50 street foods at t he World Street Food Congress 2017.
The famous dish is cooked by first stir-fr y ing chopped garlic and chilli paste. Then, the rice noodles are added in, followed by shrimps, bean sprouts and Asian chives, before t he chef turns up t he heat to stir fr y a ll t he ingredients into a plate of mouth-watering f ried char kway teow.
“Here we ser ve quite an extensive halal menu. Some people might have the perception that Malaysian dishes are heav ily influenced by Indian cuisine and are therefore too spicy. But, t he fact is we ser ve dif ferent k inds of food ranging from mild to spicy,” Bunlong said.
Another sta r of t he menu is Sarawak pepper chicken soup ($7), which att racts Cambodian diners who famously enjoy Kampot pepper in t heir dishes.
“This Malaysian state [Sarawak] is wellknown for the pepper chicken soup as t they hey use well har vested white pepper, which is famous for its nice heat. It is imported direct ly from
Sarawak. Nasilemak ikanbilis
The dish is a must-tr y for people who travel to Malaysia,” said Bunlong.
Bunlong said some spices and ingredients are imported to ensure t he dishes ser ved have the same taste as t hose available i n Malaysia.
“Food is prepared and cooked by our Cambodian chefs, who have severa l years of experience working in hotel k itchens.
“They had to go through one-month’s tra ining in Malaysia and another onemonth’s training with a Malaysian chef in Cambodia before t hey joined t he k kitchen,” itchen,” he said.
Follow ing strict hala l practice, t he restaurant does not ser ve pork and a lcohol, while a ll t he meat used in t he k itchen is supplied by a local Muslim butcher.
Deserts such as Pappa ABC ($ 3.20 – $ 3.50) are a lso
ser ved for sambal
those with w a sweet tooth.
ABC is i an acronym for ais batu ca campur (mixed shaved ice), wit wi h t he dessert using shaved ice as a base, topped with cendol ce (r ice jel ly), red beans, peanuts, rainbow syrup sy rup a and condensed milk.
There is an additiona l option to add ice-cream.
PappaRich is located on Tuol Kork district’s Street 315 in Phnom Penh. It is open from 11am to 10pm daily.
For more information or bookings, the restaurant can be contacted v ia telephone (095 555 001).