Somlor Jaray-ung K'nao

Battambang province, Cambodia - July 5, 2015 - There are many foods and ingredients never used in Western societies in this part of the world that are... for want of a less cliched term... nutritious and delicious. I'll just pretend I never said that. But the facts are that stuff you might think is gross, or discard in the bin as "inedible" is in fact - THE BOMB. This is a less common, homemade Cambodian dish called somlor jaray-ung k'nao, translating to jackfruit rag soup. Bittergourd, morning glory, fresh chili, garlic, and dried fish is simmered with the "rag" of the jackfruit - the part that surrounds the fleshy, readily edible pods within the jackfruit's rugged shell. The two main bowls are same soup, and you can see on the right-hand side that it is served with the incredible ombul bok (see my post on what ombul bok is and how to make it here).