- From: The Australian
- March 20, 2010
From Spiders to Water Lilies is a compilation of traditional Cambodian recipes.
THERE are some recipes Food Detective would never attempt. Fried tarantula, for example, would be a bridge too far, if only because of all that wasted prep time spent standing on the fridge, screaming.
But the presence of such challenging recipes would not put her off buying a copy of From Spiders to Water Lilies (Friends-International, $45), a compilation of traditional Cambodian recipes from a very different kind of restaurant.
Romdeng in Phnom Penh is the brainchild of Friends International, a non-profit organisation providing Cambodian street kids with vocational training to help them find paying jobs. The training restaurant is staffed entirely by former street kids and their teachers, and serves everything from Cambodia's famous amok - fish in coconut milk curry, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed - to grilled eggplant topped with pork and coriander, and banana flower salad.
All profits go back into projects helping underprivileged youngsters, as do earnings from the spin-off cookbook, a beautifully presented collection of dishes interspersed with colourful photographs and wonderfully inspirational stories.
Following a stint volunteering with Friends International last year, Sydneysider Monique Cerreto has set up a website via which Australians can get their hands on a copy. "One of my most memorable experiences was visiting Romdeng restaurant," Cerreto tells Detective. "From Spiders to Water Lilies is testament to what a power organisation Friends International is."
That tarantula dish involves killing the spiders by "pressing hard on their body and then removing fangs" before marinating and frying in garlic, then serving with a lime and black pepper sauce. Detective wouldn't go near them even if those hairy little legs were covered in chocolate and waving $100 notes.
But the presence of such challenging recipes would not put her off buying a copy of From Spiders to Water Lilies (Friends-International, $45), a compilation of traditional Cambodian recipes from a very different kind of restaurant.
Romdeng in Phnom Penh is the brainchild of Friends International, a non-profit organisation providing Cambodian street kids with vocational training to help them find paying jobs. The training restaurant is staffed entirely by former street kids and their teachers, and serves everything from Cambodia's famous amok - fish in coconut milk curry, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed - to grilled eggplant topped with pork and coriander, and banana flower salad.
All profits go back into projects helping underprivileged youngsters, as do earnings from the spin-off cookbook, a beautifully presented collection of dishes interspersed with colourful photographs and wonderfully inspirational stories.
Following a stint volunteering with Friends International last year, Sydneysider Monique Cerreto has set up a website via which Australians can get their hands on a copy. "One of my most memorable experiences was visiting Romdeng restaurant," Cerreto tells Detective. "From Spiders to Water Lilies is testament to what a power organisation Friends International is."
That tarantula dish involves killing the spiders by "pressing hard on their body and then removing fangs" before marinating and frying in garlic, then serving with a lime and black pepper sauce. Detective wouldn't go near them even if those hairy little legs were covered in chocolate and waving $100 notes.
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