Lunch is Khmer seafood tom yum with steamed rice. I love bouillabaisse and I love chilli, so this brings it all together. Aromatic and tasty, this one is heavy on lemon grass, with portions of squid, octopuss, and three large prawns de-veined but unshelled and with heads. Maybe locals eat the heads, as not much is wasted in this part of the world. This Khmer tom yum is the goong nam sai, or clear soup version. I Thailand I had the tom sum goong nam khon style, which has unsweetened condensed milk to make it creamy.  Cambodian rice is short grained, sticky and with a strong flavour. It would make good dessert rice. I would like to soak the steamed rice in the tom yum juice, in the fridge overnight. That would infuse the delicious flavours, and then serve the rice as a salad, or warmed with papadum or naan bread…

US$4, at Cosmopolitan BBQ, on the eatery strip on the main road parallel to Serendipity Beach, Sihanoukville.

Khmer seafood tom yum goong nam sai (clear broth), Sihanoukville, Cambodia