Of ducklings and eggs

Took a short holiday to Siem Reap early this month...really gorgeous place (will update Travelogue on the trip)

Being a foodie, obviously I was itching to try the local dishes. But I was warned.. I may get diarrhea due to poor hygiene level -.-"

Nonetheless, we checked out the 'authentic' dishes there and the one that got me was their local balut(is called balut in the Phillipines, I just cant seem to recall the Khmer name for it. Anyone remember?).

Anyways, for those who dont know what balut is, this is what it looks like.
WTF, just an egg what?? What's the big deal, right?
No, actually it's half-egg and the other half is a semi-formed duckling(yup with feathers, head n all intact)...

You eat it with some pepper-lime paste and herbs. Dont taste bad, but nothing fantastic either.. makes me wonder why the locals love it that much!


Of course you can always opt for the more 'normal' local dishes such as...

< Amok Fish, their national dish. You can choose to have the dish with fish/ pork/ beef/ chicken. The dish is soupy, sweet and infused with some local herbs taste....

Khmer Curry , their version of 'curry'..more diluted and too sweet for my liking....

We also tried the stir-fried frogs with lemon grass, limau purut leaves and chillies..the frogs are a tad dry though. :(

The local French baguette with 3 types of pork in it.. the sweet pork (which looks like pate), ham and some char siew pork... topped with shredded cucumber, veg and onions, drizzled with sweet spicy chilli sauce.. yum!

I like this snack... dont know the name, but its some pan-fried spring onion cake. Served with tangy spicy sauce that makes it all the more appetising!

We had this for breakfast one morning.. Yup, they have pork noodles in Siem Reap too. I am always a fan of pork noodles and I must say that this version is pretty good stuff! oishi neh!

Are you hungry now??;p