The humble potato: my new hero

You may live in a country where your menu varies from day to day. In Cambodia there is a daily variance too: rice or noodles.

Last evening I had neither. Instead my dinner was a real treat at the Mekong Crossing restaurant, pan-fried fish, lightly steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes.

I never knew how wonderful potatoes could be. I'd always thought of them as bland, simple with not much flavor. I remember my mother saying "potatoes are there just to hold the gravy." When comparing potatoes with a well-seasoned chicken or beef gravy she was right. I now have a very different view.

The first bite of last night's mashed potatoes was heavenly: soft, smooth, a familiar flavor mashed potato flavor with a hint of salt and pepper. They were divine.

The vegetables were fresh from the market green peppers, carrots, onions and cauliflower. I have looked for cauliflower in the market but not found any. I asked the restaurant's cook and she said that there are only two to five kilos available in the market each day. That means that I will have to look hard—and perhaps earlier--to find some to cook at home.

The fish was flaky Mekong river fish that was swimming that morning, and glazed with a slightly sweet fish sauce, thickened as the fish cooked.

All-in-all it was a great meal.