In Penh House kitchen or at the rooftop decorated with fresh lotus flowers for greeting Khmer New Year, Chef Phoeung Sakal clearly felt at home for this pop-up presentation*. Born in Prey Veng, forced to flee with his family to Thailand then France, his culinary career have brought him to Ho Chi Minh City, he fell in love with the city and yet remains deeply rooted in Cambodian culture.
A time-honored ambassador of Confirel Kampot pepper around the world, Chef Sakal was in Phnom Penh to taste the new Prahok-based menu at Penh House, especially the new choices of pizza, and to offer his own version of using Confirel ingredients with two dishes showcasing his technique and his worldview:
- Salmon sashimi with KIRUM's new Prahok Tamarind sauce, enhanced with olive oil and aromatic Cambodian herbs;
- Grilled jalapeños dipped in a bold sauce made with Prahok Powder Strong Flavor, KIRUM palm vinegar and Kampot pepper.
The young boy welcomed by his foster family in the French Alps - "It was December, snowing, a shock for a kid growing in Phnom Penh" he remembers with a smile - quickly turned to the French culinary arts. An apprentice at gourmet powerhouse Lenotre, then a sous-chef in several starred restaurants, he was soon spotted by Accor hotel groups, and was appointed chef at the HCMC Sofitel.
"Luckily for me, working in the kitchen allowed me to fulfill my childhood dream: traveling the world. I was even able to come back to Phnom Penh as a chef when the Sofitel Pokheetra opened in 2011." And indeed Chef Sakal was invited to express his creativity in Indonesia, China, Mauritius. No wonder the gastronomic restaurant he opened in the Vietnamese city was named Le Corto, a tip of the hat to Corto Maltese, the cool globe-trotter drawn by Hugo Pratt.
Chef Sakal, president of the Disciples Escoffier Vietnam chapter, was greeted by Confirel founder and CEO Dr Hay Ly Eang, who is also Penh House's owner. Of the latter, Chef Sakal praised "the fact that he is constantly seeking improvement in the agricultural products or the processed ingredients. I'm in awe with his energy and committment."
About his cuisine, often labeled as "French-Vietnamese fusion", "I'd rather call it French-Asian, as I'm exploring techniques and ingredients from various Asian cultures," he said; "The Ho Chi Minh Ville culinary scene is really open-minded. I'm using Cambodian ingredients at my restaurant, and I'm always on the lookout for authentically traditional Cambodian recipes."
Hence his enthusiasm when he discovered HRH Princess Norodom Rasmi Sobbhana's The Culinary Art of Cambodia in its 2022 augmented edition.
Happy Khmer New Year, everyone! សួស្តីឆ្នាំថ្មីទាំងអស់គ្នា!