AsiaLIFE

Each month AsiaLIFE will take a sneak peak into the kitchens of Phnom Penh’s top eateries. To start with, Lis Meyers visits Friends.

Stepping into the kitchen of everyone’s favourite training restaurant, there is a distinct sense of order. Despite having just finished busy lunch servings, the entire kitchen is immaculate – save for a few dishes in the sink that are soon tackled by a member of staff.

The kitchen is divided up into two sections, a larger area with a central workstation and numerous hobs, and a smaller area where all of the restaurant’s fresh smoothies and cocktails are prepared. One very large fridge holds ingredients that have already been chopped or prepared, including mango salsa and spring rolls. Everything appears to be in their rightful places and many items are labelled. Laminated info sheets advise on important steps for each dish and remind just how much chicken, mango, and cashew nuts should go into stir-fried chicken with mango and cashew nuts. Everything is translated into both Khmer and English.
Gustav Auer is the hospitality and business coordinator of Friends-International. “It’s very hectic but they are a good team,” he says. “It is very busy and we have an average of 300 to 500 customers a day – I call it organised chaos.”

The Students

The third level of a two-year training programme, cookery students are assigned to various stations in the kitchen, including salads, stir-fries, grilling, cutting and chopping, and cleaning. They then rotate to new stations once they have mastered each skill. Chem Chanthy is one of the cooking team’s female trainees. Originally from Siem Reap, the nineteen-year-old student has been with the programme for three years.

“Sometimes it’s very busy and very difficult to work with so many ingredients, especially as we are still learning,” she says. She enjoys the atmosphere and camaraderie of the kitchen. “We are all friends and usually act like family towards each other.” Most of the students work, learn, eat and live together.
“We encourage our staff to treat everyone with respect and allow for creativity,” says Gustav. “We never patronise or put our students down. I am demanding. I ask a lot, but I always remind myself how far they have come. None of these kids had been in a kitchen before.”

Hygiene

Staff wash hands before handling any products or equipment. The kitchen has four large sinks, each with bottles of both hand and dish soap beside it. Several large posters informing about food safety can be found around the kitchen.

Hygiene is considered the first and most important step of the training programme. “If you do not have the basic standards of hygiene, you cannot cook,” says Gustav. “It is the main focus of our training. Level one of the training is really very much about hygiene.” Hgam Kimhhor has been a teacher at Friends for two years, previously working at Boddhi Tree. “We start each morning by cleaning,” she explains. “When something is prepared we teach the students to clean immediately. The kitchen is cleaned after every meal. We start with cleaning.”

Training Session

AsiaLIFE was invited to one of Friend’s training sessions, when the restaurant is shut down for the afternoon to teach new skills and dishes. The entire team gathers together in the kitchen, including the servers. Using one of the teachers to translate, Gustav explains how to make frozen red hibiscus and lime daiquiri, a new special for the restaurant. He demonstrates how to make the drink as the students take notes and look on.

“It is important that the ice is not crushed, but in little chunks. Otherwise the drink will not be slushy,” he says “Listen to the ice in the blender and you can hear when it’s finished.” Gustav then asks the students to make the drink again. Sampled after being prepared by a student, the drink is lovely and refreshing. They have been paying close attention!

Moving on, Gustav teaches a new courgette fritter recipe, after having received complaints about the current recipe served in the restaurant. “We adopted this new one from Gourmet Magazine, adding some extra ingredients and changing the cheese. It got four forks!”

Gustav mixes five grated courgettes, one cup of minced shallots, and some salt in a large bowl. Explaining why salt must be added at this stage, he demonstrates how it helps extract liquid from the courgettes. The liquid is squeezed out and discarded. Gustav then adds two lightly beaten eggs, half a cup of mint leaf, one and a half cups of aged cheddar cheese, one cup of breadcrumbs, and a tablespoon of dried oregano. He throws in some Tabasco sauce and a little salt and pepper. The mixture is then made into little balls and fried in a pan for three minutes until golden brown. Served with Friend’s creamy mayonnaise, everyone gets to try it with smiles all around – all agree that this new fritter recipe far surpasses its predecessor.

Friends, 215 Street 13, Tel: 023 426 748