អំបុក read as Ambok, is known throughout Cambodia as rice flakes or flattened rice that are used as stable food but has very significant value in the Cambodian culture. In the past, people make them at home but nowadays, they would just buy rice flakes from the market, one kilo costs about 1.25-5$. Rice flake can be making from either sticky rice or fragrance white rice. Rice flakes is a cooked and can be kept for a long time, can also be eaten in many ways. How Ambok is made can be found in here! here! here!
The best season for fresh rice flakes is between November and December, a bit earlier than harvesting time because 80-90% or ripe rice are best for making crispy, sweet and yummy flakes. In November, the Cambodian Water & Moon Festival is celebrated. The official name of the festival is Preah Reach Pithy Bon Om Tuk, Bondet Bratib, Ok Ambok ning Sampeah Preah Khae [Royal Ceremony of Boat Racing, Ceremonial Floats**, Rice flakes eating and moon worship]**. It is celebrated in November as marks the reversal of the flow of the Tonle Sap River and the Mekong River. The boat racing is celebrated every year in front of the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh at Tonle Chaktomuk [four faces rivers] where four river meets.
At night, when it is full moon people would prepare a table with rice flakes, coconut, banana, candle, insane and flowers to worship to the moon. After that, they would mix this rice flake and eat with coconut or banana.
There are many ways to eat Ambok!
- Eat rice flake just as it is.
- Eat rice flake by mixing them with banana
- Eat rice flake by putting them into the coconut juice
- Eat rice flake together with jaggery
- Eat rice flake by fry it with bacon and dried shrimp
- Eat rice flake by making it into the cake, called ក្រម៉ៅថត read as Kromao thot, a kind of cake that use rice flake to wrap the banana and fry them [shown in the last photo]
- I like eating them with coconut juice and banana!
