Thursday, January 22, 2015

Cambodian Snack Food: Bamboo Sticky Rice

It's Girl Scout Cookie time where I live in Texas. When we moved back this summer from Malaysia, I was so grateful that an existing Girl Scout troop was able to squeeze in my daughter that I uttered the words, "I will do anything to help." That, in short, is how I ended up being the Cookie Mom, the person who coordinates this fundraiser for our troop. If you're not familiar with Girl Scout cookies, they are only available in an area for 4-6 weeks, and they are HUGELY popular, especially Thin Mints. Girls sell them at booths outside stores on the weekends, and some parents sell them at work. American expats in Malaysia will hopefully ask that friends send a few boxes over. Even hardcore foodies who have sworn off all processed foods make an exception for Girl Scout Cookies.

To get my mind off of American cookies, I am turning my thoughts to Cambodian snacks.

You've heard of street food. What about highway food? The highway between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh is lined with stands selling Krolan (Bamboo Sticky Rice).  It's very similar to a dish I've seen in Thailand and Malaysia. The smoke rising up from the charcoal brazier is what first caught my eye, and then I noticed what initially looked like scrolls of parchment paper in baskets on tables. No one seemed to have a very big operation, but the stands were plentiful.


Forgive me for not getting out to take a better photo. Trucks were speeding down the newly paved highway so close to the van that I was convinced I would be flattened before I could make it to the curb.

Bamboo sticky rice stand along the highway

A mixture of sticky glutinous rice, coconut milk and black beans is densely stuffed inside each bamboo tube with crumpled banana leaves plugging the end. Like many others, this woman cooks the rice by the side of the highway, turning the tubes so that they cook evenly. The charred bamboo lightly flavors the rice as it cooks. When they come off the grill, she hacks off the burnt outer shell leaving the light brown inner bamboo tube to hold together everything.


Peeling back the bamboo to get to the rice.

To eat this snack, I peeled back a strip of bamboo, almost like peeling a banana partway and discarded the leaf plug at the top. Breaking off the strip, I did as our guide suggested and used it as a makeshift spoon. It was delicious! The coconut milk gave it a slight creaminess and a hint of sweetness but didn't overpower the rice. Watch out for bamboo fibers. Believe me, they are very hard to get down your throat. Stick to the sticky rice.

After it is cooked, this snack can keep for a few days without refrigeration. That is why it was so popular for carrying out into the fields as food during harvest times. It's supposedly one of the safer street foods in Cambodia for foreigners to try. Plus, the "container" is completely biodegradable.

You can't really compare American Girl Scout cookies and Cambodian krolan, but I'm glad that I've had a chance to try both.

What's your favorite snack food at home?
That you discovered on your travels?


This post is part of the following linkups. Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.

32 comments:

  1. oh this sounds so delicious. I love authentic street food. I will have to look out for this one if I ever go to Cambodia. Have fun with that cookie cooking!
    I haven't been by to visit for a while. Life has taken over the last month or so, but hopefully back to "normal" - whatever that is - soon.
    I hope you are enjoying being back in the USA. Have a great week.

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    1. Good to hear from you, Jill. Life has taken over for me as well and has slowed my blogging. I don't have to bake the cookies. They are factory made. We just sell them.

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    2. I have to agree with Jill, this sounds absolutely delicious! Nothing can compare to some of the most traditional methods and recipes!

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  2. How delicious, sounds like the perfect street food, with environmental container too. What is it that's so good about the cookies? How do they differ from regular cookies available all year? I'm fascinated!

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    1. The main difference with these cookies is buying them from cute, little girls instead of off a store shelf. There's actually another major brand that has almost the exact cookies year-round, and they aren't nearly as legendary. It's more about the tradition than the actual taste.

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  3. I love reading about different cultural foods - this was fascinating! Thankfully, no one has asked me to buy Girl Scout cookies this year. Yet. Oy.

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  4. Your photo is great! We will be in Siem Reap in early February and can't wait!

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  5. Last year on O'ahu's north shore we stopped at a roadside stand and had rice wrapped in what appeared to be corn husks and was a bit sweet -- I think we did have sticky rice and just didn't know what we were eating. Loved the post. You go girl on those cookies, though!

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  6. Yes, GS Cookies are the exception that proves the no-processed foods rule!


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    <3

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  7. Now that is some street food I would like to try. The mix of flavours sounds delicious.

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  8. This makes me hungry. Cambodian krolan looks so yummy. I'm wondering where I can find it locally ;-)

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  9. Oh man, I wish I knew about this while I was in Cambodia. We were only in Siem Reap though. I wonder if they had these stands there too, or was it only on the highway to Phnom Penh? It sounds yummy!!! I love anything with sticky rice & coconut milk!

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  10. Oh, I am in Cambodia at the moment, good timing! I haven't seen them though... are they available only in the highways? I'd like to try that! Thanks for sharing!
    Today I've discovered another snack food: banana and rice cooked (fried?) in a banana leaf. It's stuffy but good :)

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  11. This looks interesting and delicious! I love the presentation and that the container is biodegradable. Eating out of a bamboo seems to add another layer of cultural foodie experience. I've only had sticky rice from Bangkok airport and loved it. Good luck with the Girl Scout cookie selling. One of the reasons I never got my daughter involved with GS was the thought of selling cookies. I know..bad mom points. But, we do love buying them. And I just bought a bunch from the neighbor an hour ago :)

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  12. Ooh, I do love a good sticky rice. Made in those bamboo holders just makes it all the more appealing. :-)

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  13. Wow that looks tasty! I love rice desserts and this sounds like the perfect snack and I've never seen anything served in bamboo like that! I hope I get to try it one day:)

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  14. Wonderful website. Plenty of useful information here. thanks on your sweat!

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  15. I love this snack, or I've had its cousin here in Thailand :) I'm still loving Moo ping...skewers of pork cooked over charcoal...yum, and fried bananas always seem to find a way into my hands. :) Thanks for linking to Travel Photo Thursday this week! #TPThursday

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  16. Oh boo, I'm so bummed I missed this when I was in SE Asia! Looks delicious! And kudos to you for being cookie mom...best job in the whole troupe, if you ask me!;-) Samosas are my FAVE!

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  17. I love the thought of rice as a portable 'snack on a stick' - but now you've really got me wanting girl scout cookies. Mmmm.

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  18. The sticky rice sounds absolutely delicious! As do the Girl Scout Cookies! Unfortunately never tried either :(

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  19. Great photos! I've never heard of sticky rice but it sounds yummy, and you're right, the containers are biodegradable. What a way to decrease your carbon footprint! And using part of the packaging as a spoon? Very smart.

    Good luck with selling the cookies, by the way. We only sold six boxes.

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  20. Ha ha! Never say you'll do "anything," but good luck with the cookie sales anyway. These snacks look much better than Girl Scout cookies!

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  21. Hi Michele. I did try a mouthful of this is Cambodia, but I didn't like the smokey taste. Ours was quite burnt on the outside. Your photo is a lot better than the one I managed to get!

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  22. Too bad I missed trying this when I was in Cambodia. I had a similar one in Northern Vietnam. But this one from Cambodia sounds more flavorful with coconut milk and black beans. The one I had in Vietnam was just rice. I also like that the container is biogradable. It's also good to know that they can last for days without refrigeration. I wish we have such kind of food here in the West. Good luck with the GS cookie project.

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  23. Oh yum, that sounds good! 1 bamboo sticky rice please :)

    I love girl guide cookies too. Thin mints yes please! I just polished off a box not too long ago.

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  24. that looks delicious...and so different...food is always something that helps you know the culture of the place
    greetings from www.bayessence.com

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  25. I would LOVE to try this! It sounds so delicious. I would probably eat it every day :)

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  26. Oh lordy am in deep trouble because the parents at work have started to mention the Girl Scout cookie sheets are ready for sign up. And those Caramel Delights are like "crack" to me! I like to freeze them and eat them...yum! I can go through an entire box...it's just obscene. I would absolutely try the bamboo sticky rice, Michele!

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