''Num kreab'' () is a Khmer thin, round and flat

rice cracker A rice cracker is an East Asian cracker made from cooked rice or rice flour. Many regional varieties exist, though most are fried or baked and puffed and/or brushed with soy sauce or vinegar to create a smooth texture. Some may also be wrapped ...

that is sold as

street food Street food is food sold by a Hawker (trade), hawker or vendor on a street or at another public place, such as a market, fair, or park. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

History

Unlike '' num ansorm'', which is made for Cambodian New Year, ''num krieb'' is not prepared for any specific occasions. ''Num krieb'' is frequently made from leftover rice, often by poor farmers who sell it to earn extra income. Similar to other round rice crackers across Asia, ''num krieb'' has the same recipe as the smaller Japanese ''

senbei , also spelled ''sembei'', is a type of Japanese rice cracker. They come in various shapes, sizes, and flavors, usually savory but sometimes sweet. Senbei are often eaten with green tea as a casual snack and offered to visiting house guests as ...

'' but is the size of the Indian flatbread ''

bhatura Bhatura also known as batoora, bhatoora, batura, or pathora (, is a fluffy deep-fried leavened sourdough bread originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly served as a midday meal or a breakfast dish in northern and eastern India. P ...

''. It is difficult to presume of ''num krieb'''s antiquity, though local traditions consider it to be from

time immemorial Time immemorial () is a phrase meaning time extending beyond the reach of memory, record, or tradition, indefinitely ancient, "ancient beyond memory or record". The phrase is used in legally significant contexts as well as in common parlance. ...

Preparation

The ''num kreab'' is made from various ingredients including

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

palm sugar Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar may be qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed simila ...

lard Lard is a Quasi-solid, semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering (animal products), rendering the adipose tissue, fatty tissue of a domestic pig, pig.

, and duck eggs or chicken eggs. The rice is rinsed and soaked in water, then drained and steamed. After that, it is mixed with palm sugar and pressed into small balls. The balls are flattened with a piece of wood or a short round tube and dried in the sun for about 1 to 2 hours before being stored in a basket or pan for grilling.

References

External links

* {{Cambodian cuisine Rice breads Southeast Asian breads Cambodian cuisine