Num banhchok (original) (raw)

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Cambodian noodle soup

Num banhchok

Alternative names Num banh chok, Cambodian rice noodles,[1] Khmer noodles, nom panchok, nom pachok, noum bahnchok, num panchok, num pachok[2]
Course Breakfast or sometimes lunch
Place of origin Cambodia
Region or state Southeast Asia
Associated cuisine Cambodian and Cham cuisine[3]
Serving temperature Warm to room temperature[2]
Main ingredients Rice, prahok
Variations See variations
Similar dishes khanom chin, bún, mixian
Media: Num banhchok

Num banhchok (Khmer: នំបញ្ចុក, num bânhchŏk Khmer pronunciation: [nom ɓaɲcok]) are lightly fermented Cambodian rice noodles and a breakfast noodle dish.[2]

banhchok "បញ្ចុក" translates to "to feed" in Khmer language.

Num banhchok is made by soaking rice for 2–4 hours and grinding it into a liquidy paste. The paste is pressed into round shapes and dried inside calico bags. Then it is pulverized and turned into a viscous paste, which is extruded into boiling water. The noodles are boiled for 3–4 minutes and transferred to cold water.[4]

There are many variations of num banhchok across the country.

Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City-based eatery Pizza 4P's makes a fusion num banhchok pizza with a yellow kroeung, coconut milk and prahok sauce, freshwater fish, cheese, peanuts, water celery, basil, water mimosa, banana blossoms, water hyacinths and sesbania flowers.[6]

Num banhchok is featured in a popular Khmer folk legend about an influential revolutionary and scholar Thon Chey who was exiled to China by the Khmer king, where Thon Chey began making num banhchok to make a living. The dish quickly gained popularity among the Chinese and eventually attracted even the attention of the Chinese emperor. The emperor summoned Thon Chey to bring num banhchok to his palace. Thon Chey arrived and while the emperor was tasting the dish Thon Chey managed to see the emperor's face, comparing it to a dog and the face of his Khmer king to that of a bright full moon, for which Thon Chey was immediately thrown into jail. However, soon Thon Chey managed to get released and eventually returned to the Khmer Empire.[7][5]

In May 2019, the National Police began detaining former members and supporters of the dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) for attending noodle dinners[8] that were deemed as political gatherings. In response co-founder of the CNRP Sam Rainsy called all Cambodians to gather for a bowl of num banhchok on 9 June "for the sake of friendship in the framework of the entire, giant Cambodian family."[9]

His calls were soon followed by the Prime Minister Hun Sen who appealed to the members of his Cambodian People's Party to also gather the same day and eat "Khmer noodles of unity and solidarity",[10] but denied it being a step towards negotiations with the opposition.[11] It was estimated by Sen that from 7 to 8 million people would take part in the eating of num banhchok on 9 June.[12]

Sen also proposed launching a promotional campaign for Cambodian food and culture,[9] and two months later Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts began preparing an application for the inclusion of num banhchok in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.[13]

  1. ^ Sopheak, Sao, ed. (2020). The Taste of Angkor. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia. p. 32. ISBN 978-9924-9486-0-5.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dunston, Lara (7 February 2020). "Nom Banh Chok Fermented Rice Noodles Are Cambodia in a Bowl". Grantourismo Travels. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  3. ^ Nakamura, Rie (6 May 2020). "Food and Ethnic identity in the Cham Refugee Community in Malaysia". Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 93 (2): 153–164. doi:10.1353/ras.2020.0024. S2CID 235029137. A majority of the Cham refugees in Malaysia came from Cambodia, and most 'Cham' dishes found in Malaysia originate from Cambodia, including leas hal (a salty/spicy sun-dried shellfish), banh chok (rice vermicelli noodle soup), and nom kong (a kind of donut). The Muslim Cham from the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam are familiar with Cambodian food since many of them routinely moved back and forth across the border with Cambodia in the past for business or to visit relatives.
  4. ^ Khat, Leakhena (4 November 2017). "Num Banh Chok: More Than Just Rice Noodles to Khmer (video)". AEC News Today. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  5. ^ a b Goldberg, Lina (5 March 2013). "Khmer noodles: The story of num banh chok". Move to Cambodia. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  6. ^ Simala, Pan (5 July 2022). "Num banh chok pizza a new fusion hit". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  7. ^ Gall, Darren (16 November 2021). "Num Banh Chok". Vindochine. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Cambodia Cracking Down on Noodle Dinners Attended by Opposition Supporters". Radio Free Asia. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  9. ^ a b Sopheng, Cheang (10 June 2019). "Near-erasure of Cambodian opposition makes noodles a target". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  10. ^ Chheng, Niem (4 June 2019). "Eat 'Khmer noodles of solidarity', PM urges". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  11. ^ Savi, Khorn (7 June 2019). "Khmer noodle movement not for CNRP talks, says PM". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  12. ^ Sophirom, Khan (6 June 2019). "7-8 Million People Expected To Eat Num Banh Chok This Weekend". Agence Kampuchea Press. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  13. ^ Chakrya, Khouth Sophak (22 August 2019). "Ministries seeking heritage status for Num Banh Chok". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 14 November 2020.