Friday, June 29, 2012

Pot Ang aka Cambodian Grilled Corn

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Instead of the typical boiled corn or grilled corn, how about changing it up this year by injecting some life into the corn and making Cambodian-style grilled corn called pot ang? It's not difficult at all.

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There are only four ingredients for the glaze: [Edit: Added actual measurements]

5 tbsp coconut milk
2-1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tbsp sugar

I can’t give any measurements for the glaze since Mom just eyeballed it and then adjusted it by taste. This particular batch was watered down a bit (about 2 tbsp water). But what I can tell you is that the fish sauce is needed to provide the saltiness and a savoury hit. If you're afraid of using fish sauce, don't be. The smell and flavour mellows out. You can't really replace the fish sauce with salt. It's just not the same.

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The corn was blanched prior to grilling and glazing, which made everything quicker; however, you can also cook the corns straight on the grill. It will just take a bit longer.

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The ears of corn were basted throughout the grilling process. We found an easier method to reduce the dripping. An ear of corn was held over the bowl of the coconut glaze and then the glaze was spooned onto the corn from the top. The excess glaze was shaken off and then the corn were returned to the grill to caramelize some more.

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The process is repeated until the glaze is used up or until all the corns finish cooking – whichever comes first. Be sure to give all the corn some love. According to the people behind the Gastronomy blog, you can find grilled corn that is similar to pot ang on the streets in Vietnam.

The coconut-scented ears of corn were imbued with a savoury depth. The salty-sweet corns were so addictive! Next time you buy corn, try making this glaze instead of the one you typically use. You'll be transported to Cambodia. And if you want to make it a more authentic experience, go to a park, grill up the corn using the glaze, and then squat while holding the corn and just enjoy it with Cambodian tunes playing on the mini-DVD player. I'm not making this up. Our family still does it occasionally. We rarely forget the pot of rice when we go to the park.

Enjoy the weekend. And to all the fellow Canadians around the world: Happy Canada Day!

1 comment:

  1. My mom doesn't put fish sauce in the sauce she actually put a little salt and it still taste awesome. I never heard of putting fish sauce in the sauce but I will have to ask my mom about that.

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