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| By
: Ly Vanna, Picture by : Nathan Dexter. |
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In a country
without one international fast food outlet, where
can you go for a taste of fried chicken?
When Khmers go looking for this sort of food, they
often by-pass chicken altogether and go for chab
chien tiny birds deep-fried to a rich red or golden
brown perfection.
Along the riverfront at night, hawkers sit with
piles of these tiny delicacies heaped temptingly
in front of them. It is the same across the bridge
at Chhbar Ampou, and by the river in Neak Loeung
town and further along the road in Prey Veng town.
The smell of frying birds makes the mouth water,
but some are put off by the size of these usually
tiny creatures, still with heads and feet attached.
For Khmers, they are a treat to be enjoyed while
relaxing with friends in the evening.
"I've been selling chab chien for four years,"
said Mrs Nary, 45, a hawker on Phnom Penh's riverfront.
"I sell at least 20 and sometimes up to 50
birds a day.
I usually start at about 4pm and go through to late
evening. Ten birds cost 4500 riel so they are a
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Above: A hawker and her daughter
offer heaped piles of various species of deep
fried birds. Inset: The finished product, ready
to eat.
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very affordable
snack."
There are several species of small bird included on the
menu.
Tror cheak kam, or swallows, and chab pouk or chab porpech
(the common sparrow munia siamensis) are the species most
often sold.
Prey Veng province is famous for the number of small birds,
especially sparrows, it supports.
Without controls, they can ruin a rice crop, so chab Prey
Veng are also commonly sold.
Chab l'ngor, or sesame sparrows, are smaller than their
cousins. Then there are chab s'rok (house sparrows) and
chab prey (forest sparrows), both of which are less often
offered for consumption.
The Prey Veng "sparrows" have traveled a long
way to become a late night snack. "I've heard that
these birds migrate from Siberia every winter," Mrs
Nary said.
All birds are deep fried after being marinated in a mixture
of oil, salt, garlic and bicheng (the ubiquitous MSG).
Sometimes, a red dye is added to the marinade to make
them more appealing to the eye, and the birds might be
rolled in flour to make their skin crisper. Chab chien
must be eaten hot and fresh to truly appreciate their
crisp skin and tender breast meat, according to connoisseurs.
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The meat
of the birds is succulent and sweet not gamy like
larger wild birds. Eaten with lemon, herbs, vegetables
and a mixture of salt and pepper, Khmers believe
they are a great snack, high in proteins and fats.
"Khmers buy them by the bagful, but I rarely
sell to foreigners. They don't seem to like the
look of them so much," said one hawker who
wished to remain anonymous.
"I've heard the Ministry of Agriculture doesn't
like us cooking these birds and we will get into
trouble if they find us," he explained.
But other hawkers don't seem to have this reservation.
And Mr Tan Sitha, a technical officer with the Forest
and Wildlife Research Institute of the Ministry
of Forestry and Fisheries, confirms there is no
restriction on the hunting of common species of
small birds-yet.
"Numbers (among small birds species) are down
on what they were in 1995 and 96," he said.
"The greater the market for birds as food,
the more hunters will capture the birds. If we eat
one, he'll catch one, eat two, he'll kill two.
"The eating of several more endangered species
like some water fowl has been banned for many,
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The final product. Sparrows
served with a mixture of herbs and sliced
vegetables are hard to resist, according
to many Khmer gourmets.
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| many years. You
don't see egrets, for instance, on sale in the street
in Phnom Penh. The problem is enforcing these bans, but
in the capital, at least, the street hawkers are selling
common birds like sparrows." |
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Suite
B8, Regency Square, InterContinental Hotel, 294 Mao Tse Toung
Boulevard,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Tel: (855) 23 213 133 Fax: (855) 23 213 033
E-mail:
editor@leisurecambodia.com |
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