''Num banhchok'' ( km, នំបញ្ចុក, ) are lightly-fermented Cambodian

rice noodles Rice noodles, or simply rice noodle, are noodles made with rice flour and water as the principal ingredients. Sometimes ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and c ...

and a breakfast noodle dish. There are many regional variations of ''num banhchok'' across the country.

Preparation

The ''num banhchok'' are made by soaking the rice for 2–4 hours and grinding them into a liquidy paste. The paste is pressed into round shapes and dried inside

calico Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...

bags. Then it is pulverized and turned into a viscous paste, which is

extruded Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex c ...

into boiling water. The noodles are boiled for 3–4 minutes and transferred to cold water.

In folklore

''Num banhchok'' is featured in a popular Khmer

folk legend Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging fro ...

about an influential revolutionary and scholar Thonchey. Thonchey was exiled to China by the Khmer king, where Thonchey began making ''num banhchok'' as a way to make a living. The dish quickly gained popularity among the Chinese and eventually attracted even the attention of the

Chinese emperor ''Huangdi'' (), translated into English as Emperor, was the superlative title held by monarchs of China who ruled various imperial regimes in Chinese history. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was considered the Son of Heave ...

. The emperor summoned Thonchey to bring ''num banhchok'' to his palace. Thonchey arrived and while the emperor was tasting the dish Thonchey managed to see the emperor's face, insulted him and was immediately thrown into jail. Soon Thonchey managed to get released and returned to the Khmer Empire.

In politics

In May 2019 the

National Police National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries: *Afghanistan: Afghan National Police *Haiti: Haitian National Police *Colombia: National Police of Colombia *Cuba: Cuban National Police *East Timor: National Police of ...

began detaining former members and supporters of the dissolved

Cambodia National Rescue Party ) , headquarters = , ideology = LiberalismLiberal democracyCivic nationalismPopulismAnti-Vietnamese sentiment , position = Centre , international = Liberal International , affiliation1_title = Regional affili ...

(CNRP) for attending noodle dinners that were deemed as political gatherings. In response co-founder of the CNRP Sam Rainsy called all Cambodians to gather for a bowl of ''num banhchok'' on 9 June "for the sake of friendship in the framework of the entire, giant Cambodian family." His calls were soon followed by the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Hun Sen Hun Sen (; km, ហ៊ុន សែន, ; born 5 August 1952) is a Cambodian politician and former military commander who has served as the prime minister of Cambodia since 1985. He is the longest-serving head of government of Cambodia, and ...

who appealed to the members of his

Cambodian People's Party The Cambodian People's Party (CPP), UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; is a Cambodian political party which has ruled Cambodia since 1979. Founded in 1951, it was originally known as the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP)., UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ...

to also gather the same day and eat "Khmer noodles of unity and solidarity", but denied it being a step towards negotiations with the opposition. It was estimated by Sen that from 7 to 8 million people would take part in the eating of ''num banhchok'' on 9 June. Sen also proposed launching a promotional campaign for Cambodian food and culture, and two months later

Ministry of Tourism The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture. The position exists in many different countries under several names: *Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania) * Minist ...

and Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts began preparing an application for the inclusion of ''num banhchok'' in the

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...

References

External links

* Mai, Jerry (4 February 2021)
Fish curry vermicelli noodle soup (num banh chok)
Asia Unplated. SBS * Roney, Tyler (23 January 2019)
Siem Reap: Making Num Banh Chok with Park Hyatt’s Executive Chef
Remote Lands
The history of ''num banh chok'' (Cambodian rice noodles)
{{Soups Cambodian soups Vegetable dishes National dishes