Have you ever eaten flowers? I've tried a lot of new food in Cambodia, and one of my favorites is a noodle soup with vegetables, herbs and sometimes even flowers in it. Keep reading to find out more about these special Cambodian noodles.
In English, you can call this dish "Khmer (say K-mai) noodles". In Khmer, we say nom banh chok ,or នំបញ្ចុក. My own name for this food is flower noodle soup, because it has flowers, noodles and soup!
The first time I saw nom banh chok, I thought it was just a bowl of noodles and broth. Before I ate my first bite, my host mom acted out mixing the noodles, so I did as she said. I was so surprised at what was inside! There were purple pieces of water lily stems, green chunks of cucumber, herbs, pieces of long beans and tiny yellow flowers. After mixing, it was ready to eat, and my first bite made me feel warm and happy. Not only did it look beautiful, but it tasted delicious, too. Now, I eat nom banh chok a few times each week for breakfast or snack. It is one of my favorite foods in Cambodia!
