Rev. Mark Baldwin - Missionary to Cambodia

As I prepared to celebrate my first Christmas in Phnom Penh, Cambodia I was wondering what to write folks about back in America and around the world. The Idea came to me as I wandered the isles of a “modern market” and spotted a freezer full of frozen turkeys. Since there are no turkeys here in Cambodia and these had familiar American brand names I assumed they'd been shipped frozen, at great expense, all the way from the US. I was slightly amused because in all the apartments I looked at only one had an oven and it was to small for an American roasting chicken, let alone a turkey. I guess the fancy apartments, costing more than $1000/mo, have real ovens.

After seeing the turkeys I decided to prepare a favorite dish for my Cambodian Christmas dinner. I'll also share the recipe though you may have trouble finding “Bproh Hok” in any form. I remember the first time I heard about bproh hok was on my first trip to Cambodia some time back. The English less I was teaching my upper intermediate students covered the “Specialty” of you country. I couldn't think of anything especially American so I asked them. One student, Heansengaratah, told me of “Cambodian Cheese”. She said “the smell is disgusting and the taste... If you eat it the taste will be with you for days.” She shuttered violently. I remember thinking I'd seen Cambodian cows and they look like I imagine the cows from Pharaoh's dream. That is the ones that ate up the good cows. They didn't look like they could produce any milk and the only milk I ever saw in the market was imported and quite expensive. She said “Oh no teacher... It is made from mashed, fermented fish!”. A month later a different class took me to a water park to say goodbye and one of them had made a dish I assume now was bproh hok ktis. My first taste was out of obligation, a missionary must be culturally sensitive and willing to try anything placed in front of him without objection. They couldn't believe I would eat it let alone like it so they took pictures (with my camera). I actually thought it was quite tasty, if a bit crunchy.

Ingredients:

• ½ lb ground pork.
• 2 Tablespoons cooking oil.
• 3 Cloves minced garlic.
• 1 Tablespoon bproh hok (Aka: Cambodian cheese or fermented fish)
• 1 Cup coconut milk.
• ¼ Cup water or stock.(optional)
• 1 Tablespoon palm sugar, or light brown sugar. (To Taste)
• 1 teaspoon fermented fish sauce. (To Taste)
• 1-4 chili peppers. minced. (Optional, To Taste)

Method:

In an oiled pan brown pork and garlic. When cooked completely add coconut milk, bproh hok, and, if you like it soupy, water or stock; and heat and mix thoroughly. Once hot add sugar and fish sauce, which is very salty, to taste. Then, add chili to taste. As it cooks it will thicken.

Serving suggestions:

Serve it in a bowl with a side of rice and various raw sliced vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers and cabbage. Dip it with the vegetable chips.

I managed to find some “Bproh Hok Siak” or ferment fish meat (fillet) from a safe, reliable source. This is very different than the more common form of bproh hok which uses small (perhaps 1”-2”) whole fish. It's easy to pick the big bones out of the big fillet of Bproh Hok Siak but the small fish make the dish very crunchy with all the itty bitty fish heads.

Some of you may be a bit grossed out by the idea of “fermented fish” with or without fish heads and thinking of that I was reminded of something my Great Grandmother, who lived to be a hundred, once said. “The secret to my long life is that I don't drink, smoke, or curse; and I eat pickled herring for breakfast every day.” I was only about 10 and I remember telling her she was doing fine until she got to the pickled herring which I wasn't prepared to even try. I thought it might be better to die young, Well 30+ years later I like broccoli and eat bproh hok so I may have to consider trying some pickled herring next time I'm in the US.

Anyway, God has blessed and I have had a good year and a nice Christmas. I had “Instant Message” conversations with family and friends on Christmas day and enjoyed one of the last cool days of the cool season. Next months things should start warming back up towards 100+. Thankfully this has been a very “cold” cool season. A few days it actually failed to make 80! Please remember me, my labors, and my studies of the Khmer language in you prayers.

I trust God has given you a blessed year and Christmas. I pray that God would bless you and his church in the year to come.

Your Brother in Christ;
Rev. Mark E. Baldwin
PMU Missionary to Cambodia