Prahok: Essence of Cambodia

Discussions about restaurants, cafes, coffee shops or bars in Cambodia. Feel free to write any reviews you have, whether its the best burger you've had in Phnom Penh or the worse pizza in Kampot, we want to read it! Discussions about Khmer dishes are also in here, or you can leave your own. If you own a restaurant, feel free to let the expat community know about it here so that we can come check it out. Found a favorite cafe or have a place we should avoid? Tell us about it. Asian recipes & questions are always welcome.
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Prahok: Essence of Cambodia

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Good news for all you prahok fans !

Deeper water expected to yield more fish
Thu, 24 November 2016
Cheng Sokhorng

Just weeks ahead of the main fishing season on the Tonle Sap river, which supplies the majority of the fish used in the Kingdom’s traditional cooking sauce, prahok, government officials are predicting a better catch this season as water levels have recovered from last year’s drought.

Eng Chea San, director-general of fisheries administration at the Ministry of Agriculture, said this year’s haul from capture fisheries should increase by 20,000 tonnes, while aquaculture yields could grow by up to 20 percent.

“We expect that the fish yield will increase compared to last year, as water levels are higher and stable,” he said yesterday.

Last year, Cambodian freshwater capture fisheries and aquaculture produced 751,000 tonnes of fish. The Tonle Sap river and lake contributed more than half of this total.

Fisheries administration official Ouch Vutha agreed that higher water levels this year were a good portend for the upcoming season, especially after a prolonged drought led to a precipitous drop in last year’s production.

“This year the river levels have risen, so we expect that the fish yield will be good for prahok,” he said...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/d ... -more-fish
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
User avatar
cptrelentless
Expatriate
Posts: 3033
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2015 11:49 am
Reputation: 565
Location: Sihanoukville
Korea North

Re: Bumper prahok season forecast due to higher water levels.

Post by cptrelentless »

Liver fluke for everyone
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Bumper prahok season forecast due to higher water levels.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Despite the bumper crop of fish for prahok this year, prices have risen, to the dismay of the small producers...

Prahok makers complain of high prices in capital
Tue, 10 January 2017
Khouth Sophak Chakrya

Every year, traders and farmers travel from the provinces to Phnom Penh’s Russey Keo district to buy fish to produce prahok paste, but with this year’s prahok season ramping up, high prices have pushed many of them to camp in tents along the riverbank, waiting for prices to drop.

Farmer Nheb Vansi, 69, from Kandal province’s Koh Thom district told the Post yesterday that the high prices were persisting despite ample catches.

“This high fish price is not caused by the lack of fish, but because of big traders . . . We cannot compete with them, because we don’t dare to buy the fish at high prices like this,” she said.

She said that 1 kilogram of fish cost about 500 to 700 riel more than last year, ranging up to 2,200 riel (a bit more than $0.50) per kilogram.

She and five other villagers hoped to produce 5 tonnes of prahok to be shared among their families and neighbours and have been staying near the riverbank for three days waiting for prices to fall...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/p ... es-capital
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Bumper prahok season forecast due to higher water levels.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Prahok makers seek GI status
12 September 2017
Geographical indication status is being sought for Siem Reap prahok fish paste after the Industry Ministry granted approval for a national standard.

Siem Reap prahok fish paste, made from fermented fish, is among many products in Cambodia that the government is working to get GI status. Currently, only pepper in Kampot province and palm sugar in Kampong Speu province have so far been certified.

Kao Sochivy, deputy director-general of the fisheries department at the Agriculture Ministry, said: “We hope we will get GI status soon because now we have obtained a certificate from the ministry to make the prahok fish paste in Siem Reap that conforms with the national standard.”

“We want our prahok fish paste to have geographical indication status so that it can be recognised in international markets,” Mr Sochivy said.

He added that the GI status would also help prevent the proliferation of fake Siem Reap prahok fish paste.
A kilo of Siem Reap prahoc fish paste costs $10 in markets, while other prahok fish paste costs about $6, according to the association...
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5082459/pra ... gi-status/
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Bumper prahok season forecast due to higher water levels.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Battambang’s Phsar Prahok
1 December 2017
Image
BATTAMBANG - In Phsar Prahok, around 10 kilometres from Battambang, all activities centres around the production of this prized ingredients. The base ingredient of the paste – fish – is finely chopped and mixed with salt, before water is added to kick-start the fermentation process. Once combined, this mixture is then left to ferment in clay jars, a process that takes a minimum of 20 days to complete. However, just as with cheese, the longer the paste is left to ferment, the more pungent it gets. As pungency is, “aged” prahok often commands higher prices than “un-aged” counterpart in the market.
Image
Image
The final product, which resembles a greyish paste, has a wide array of uses. It can be used as a garnish, a dip, or even as a base for more complex sauces, stir-fries, and stews. However, don’t let its versatility fool you, because just like durian, prahok is definitely not for everyone.
Image
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/93317/batta ... ar-prahok/
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Bumper prahok season forecast due to higher water levels.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Fermented fish lovers rejoice
20 December 2017
The Fisheries Administration has announced the time is almost here for those wanting to make prahok and pha-ak – both fermented fish products – with the first phase of a good fishing season beginning Friday and lasting until December 27.

The second phase will be from January 21 to 26 if the sky is clear and there is no unseasonal rain.

The director of the Fisheries Administration appealed to people wanting to make prahok (fermented fish paste) or pha-ak (fermented fish with sticky rice), to buy fish at the end of this week and at the end of January along the Tonle Sap fishing areas.
Image
Nao Thuok, secretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said that authorities expect fish products to increase compared with last year based on an examination of the water level in the Tonle Sap.
“If we look at the water situation from the beginning of the season, the water has risen early. In the Chaktomuk area, the water level is one and a half meters higher than in 2016,” he said.

“In the Tonle Sap lake, the water level is nearly two metres higher than last year so there will be many small fish. So we hope this year’s fish yield will be better than last year.”
He said the water level in the Tonle Sap increased over the previous year, giving female fish the chance to have many births and grow larger in size...
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5096983/fer ... s-rejoice/
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Bumper prahok season forecast due to higher water levels.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

It's that time of year again, where prahok makers from all over Cambodia come looking to buy small riel fish (Siamese or lesser silver mud carp) during their migration period. But, this year, prices are way up.

First phase of fishing season finishes with prices twice last year's
Khouth Sophak Chakrya | Publication date 24 December 2018 | 11:47 ICT
The first phase of the fishing season ended on Saturday with prices twice as high as last year’s. But those intending to make prahok, pha’ak and dried fish for daily consumption can wait for the second phase, which will come during mid-January next year.

Motorists travelling along National Road 5 in Phnom Penh can pick up the aromas of prahok processing areas, but some foreigners who are not used to the smell get headaches and nausea and usually close their windows.

The capital’s six prahok processing compounds have become a little quiet as many of the prahok producers, coming from far areas such as Kampong Speu, Takeo, Svay Rieng and Kandal provinces, have returned to their homes with some of the prahok, which they claim is not enough due to the spike in fish prices.

A prahok producer from Takeo province’s Tram Kak district, Hong Kimlay, 45, said she reserved six million riel ($1,500) for fish to make two tonnes of prahok, and to cover her accommodation and food in Phnom Penh for three days.

However, due to the rising fish prices, she could not buy the necessary amount to make the volume she expected.

She said one tonne of fresh fish can yield a mere 300 to 400kg of prahok. So her funds which she reserved to buy five to six tonnes of fish to make two tonnes of prahok turned out to be insufficient as fish prices rose to between 2,500 and 3,000 riel per kg.

“Take a look at this year! I can only make one tonne of prahok because the prices of fish and salt are too high,” said Kimlay.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... last-years
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Anchor Moy
Expatriate
Posts: 13458
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 11:37 pm
Reputation: 3974
Tokelau

Re: Bumper prahok season forecast due to higher water levels.

Post by Anchor Moy »

Bad news for the prahok makers, the price of salt is also way up.


From the Phnom Penh Post today.
Salt imports from China are expected to sell at $100 per tonne in the Cambodian market, $25 more per tonne than local salt, according to the Salt Producers Community of Kampot-Kep (SPCKK).

The latest shipment of Chinese salt reached Phnom Penh Autonomous Port at the end of November, bringing the salt stockpile volume to 10,000 tonnes.

SPCKK co-president Bun Baraing told The Post that the salt has not yet been introduced into the domestic market as the association is clearing logistics documents at the port. However, he expects that the salt will be sold at $100 per tonne.

“We have to release the salt by today [Thursday] and supply the market as soon as possible, as it is prahok fish season, so salt is in high demand . . . The total cost of import is already $90 [per tonne] and it will sell at $100 per tonne,” he said.

The price of local salt rose to $75 per tonne this year from $52 last year.

This is the second time the Kingdom has imported salt, after previously spending $2.2 million to import 20,000 tonnes from China in 2009.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/ ... -100-tonne
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Bumper prahok season forecast due to higher water levels.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Love it or hate it, prahok season has started:

Best Time to Make Fermented and Dried Fish Starting This Month
AKP Phnom Penh, December 19, 2020 --

The Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has encouraged interested Cambodians to start making Cambodia’s traditional fermented fish (locally called Prahok) and dried fish this month.

The notification followed the observation of increasing fishes in Tonle Sap River, especially in Phnom Penh and Kandal province.

As more catch is available, the price of the fish will be more reasonable for Cambodians to make this staple food reserve.
- AKP
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
User avatar
CEOCambodiaNews
Expatriate
Posts: 62322
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:13 am
Reputation: 4033
Location: CEO Newsroom in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Bumper prahok season forecast due to higher water levels.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Huge hauls of prahok fish expected Dec 20-26
Khouth Sophak Chakrya | Publication date 20 December 2020 | 21:46 ICT

Fishermen in target areas in the capital and surrounding Kandal province will reel in massive hauls from December 20-26 if there are no unforeseen showers or other adverse weather conditions, according to Eng Chea San, the director-general of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ Fisheries Administration.

In a press release dated December 15, Cheasan called on the Kingdom’s makers of prahok, smoked fish and pha’ak – another fermented fish product – to quickly make their purchases during this lunar cycle in a timely manner to ensure supply for the year.

Kandal provincial Fisheries Administration director Heng Sophearith told The Post on December 20 that in parts of the province’s northern Ponhea Leu district, fairly large catches of 250-300kg were logged in single castings of fish net nearly every hour.

“Having gone to check out the situation of the fish recently, we expect more plentiful catches from December 20-26.

“But the price of prahok might be more expensive than before,” he warned, adding that makers of the fermented paste were reluctant to fork over the 3,000 riel ($0.75) per kg demanded by on-site catchers.

Phnom Penh municipal Fisheries Administration director Ngin Dy told The Post that fishermen had been netting 150-200kg catches of fish at 10 locations along the Tonle Sap River in the capital nearly every hour.

“This augurs well that the prahok season will arrive early next week,” he said.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... -dec-20-26
Join the Cambodia Expats Online Telegram Channel: https://t.me/CambodiaExpatsOnline

Cambodia Expats Online: Bringing you breaking news from Cambodia before you read it anywhere else!

Have a story or an anonymous news tip for CEO? Need advertising? CONTACT US

Cambodia Expats Online is the most popular community in the country. JOIN TODAY

Follow CEO on social media:

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 142 guests