Corn on the Cob with Grey Onion Sauce
There isn’t a nation in the world that doesn’t sell corn-on-the-cob as street food and Cambodia is no exception. I have seen people barbecuing corn streetside in all the Cambodian provinces to which I have toured. This particular corn-griller was fired up in Hun Sen Park, but frankly, Phnom Penh is rife with them.
What attracted me to this particular vendor was a curious pale grey sauce that she ladelled over the corn. As I am wont to pimp Cambodian culinary innovations, I bought one of the less dessicated looking cobs for a few hundred riel and asked for a dose of the grey stuff. I was hoping for prahok-flavour. The sauce had the consistency and flavour of warm dishwater after you had recently cleaned the plates from a meal that consisted solely of week old spring onions, chicken necks, and MSG. I now have a much deeper understanding of why this particular corn condiment hasn’t had the same global appeal as butter and ground pepper.
Addendum (18 April 2006): After a discussion with a workmate, the grey sauce is alleged to be coconut milk, salt, monosodium glutamate, spring onions, oil and fish sauce.
March 29th, 2006 at 3:19 am
This looks really tastey but after reading your post it sounds nasty. Check out my corn in India post here:
http://raniraja.blogspot.com/2006/02/bananas-over-corn.html
Thanks for all the great Cambodian tales. Keep it up.
April 2nd, 2006 at 9:05 pm
Great photos! It is always fascinating to learn about cooking/eating traditions in every country. I’ve been in Cambodia a few times, and although I would not try the nasty looking bugs that are sold along the roads, I still think it is fascinating. It is all about our likes and dislikes and about how adventurous we are in the kitchen and in life. Of course there are limits, in my case…those ugly looking bugs
April 3rd, 2006 at 9:06 am
[…] Now, take a look at this peculiar Corn on the Cob with Grey Onion Sauce. Would you like to try that or not? […]
April 22nd, 2006 at 3:52 pm
A Philippine food blog attempts to cover steet corn, and ends up digging up some dirt on genetically modified food.
http://www.sassylawyer.com/2006/04/20/the-rbgh-mafia-and-the-corn-war/
May 6th, 2006 at 3:20 am
Opinions and fish.-Possessing opinions is like possessing fish, assuming one has a fish pond. One has to go fishing and needs some luck- then one has one`s own fish, one`s own opinions. I am speaking of live opinions, of live fish.
September 4th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
[…] Most corn sellers around the Russian Market serve the steamed corn sans-topping but a daring few also seem to be market testing chilli sauce and the classic grey onion sauce. […]
October 30th, 2009 at 3:48 am
fresh corn on the grill
cut up some green onions
a can of coconut milk in a pot
add sugar and msg
then add green onions for sauce…..