The Hungry Cyclist - Pedalling The Mekong For The Perfect Meal

Cambodian Cucumber Salad

Grilled meat, rice and noodles. The Cambodian diet can at times get repetitive and every so often my cycling system craves some vitamins. These can easily be found in the abundance of fresh fruit but also at small salad stands found by the side of the road. Useing the best of Cambodian ingredients these small salads are cool and refreshing and the perfect mid afternoon antidote.

• 4 small cucumbers, peeled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic minced 
• 4 tablespoons of good soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• one small red chili, seeds removed  and finely chopped
• 2 tsp ground peanuts (optional)

1. Slice cucumbers lengthwise. Sprinkle with a little salt and  place on some paper towels to drain of excess liquid.

2. Now slice cucumbers again into thin strips.  Place in a bowl and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and whiz with a fork for a few minutes. 

4.Dash the sauce over the cucumbers and toss to coat. Serve with a sprinkle of peanuts.

The Bridge Is Down - Video Post from Cycling In Laos

As Europe seemingly grinds to a halt after a few inches of snow, here in Laos I am bathed in sunshine. But the weather can turn bad here too and in the rainy season the monsoon is a powerful adversary. Farm land is flooded, homes destroyed and roads are washed away. The power of the rains swells rivers and bridges that once linked communities are often washed away leaving areas isolated for months. Lack of funding often means repairs are never made, as I discovered while cycling in the hills north of Pakse.

Dust and Trucks in Cambodia. Video Post

Water buffalo, bicycles the occasional cart and perhpas a 4x4. One of the joys of cycling in South East Asia is the comparative lack of traffic once you get away from the main roads. But, as Cambodia and Laos start to develop this changes. Find yourself cycling on a road that connects a growing industry or newly discovered natural resource you are sharing the road with vast trucks that drag behind them a world of dust and noise. As a tourist I only have to put up with being coated in red earth for a few days, but for the people who live on these once quite tracks I can only imagine how hard life must have become.

Following The Mekong Discovery Trail - Video Post

While following the Mekong river in Cambodia I was lucky enough to stumble onto the Mekong Discovery Trail. After 30 years of war and civil unrest and the resulting poverty one of the priorities of the Cambodian Government is to improve the living standards of people in rural areas, who are some of the poorest people in the world and sustainable tourism provides a great oppertunity for the people of Cambodia and her wildlife.

The Mekong Discovery Trail provides a development opportunity through sustainable community-based ecotourism. Following the Mekong from the town of Kratie to Cambodia's border with Loas, the Mekong Discovery Trail takes you off the beaten track providing a perfect insight into Mekong river life and some pretty hairy cycling too! This short video will give you an idea of what some of the trails more wild sections can be cycled.

• For more information about The Mekong Discovery Trail click here
• Photos from cycling in Cambodia
• Recipes from Cambodia

Kampot Pepper Crab - Video Post

Kampot, on the southern coast of Cambodia is famous for its pepper and its crab. Bring this two local ingredients together and you have a perfect meal that a trip to Cambodia would not be complete without. Here is a video of my first Kampot Pepper Crab experience. It was not the last. Recipe here.

Laos Green Mango & Chili Salad

Cycling in the sticky heat of South East Asia the ubiquitous bowl of steaming noodles found in every village and town can often seem like a sweat inducing lunch too far. But needing to keep hydrated and energy levels up, food should never be shunned.

To help whet my appetite for the noodle soups a fresh salad often cools me down ready for the next course and this green mango salad is a favorite of mine in Laos. Simple to make and using ingredients that are found in the most rural kitchens, this refreshing salad combines the best of sweet and sour South East Asian flavors. Green mango (unripe) can be found in any Asian food market and can also be replaced with green papaya but I will add that recipe soon.

• 1 cup shredded mango (thin as match ticks please - use a shredder or the gadget on the top of your blender)
• 2 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts.
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onions
• 2 chopped chilies
• 2-3 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste

In a bowl, add sugar, fish sauce and shrimp paste. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add chilies and red onions and mix well. Add mixture to a bowl of shredded mango and toss. Top with crushed toasted peanuts.

Cambodian Ginger Dipping Sauce

Much of the eating in Cambodia is done by grabbing what you can with your chop sticks, dipping what you grabbed in a flavorsome sauce and then eating.While cycling around the Tonel Sap natural reservoir in the center of the country, fresh fish was on the menu. Often these fish that live in the murky waters had a muddy taste, but after dipping them in a fragrant homemade sauce they were transformed. Here is a simple recipe that did the trick for me and is perfect with any grilled fish.

• juice of three limes
• 50ml warm water
• 50g sugar
• 60 fish sauce
• 2 tbsp freshly grated inger
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed

 Place all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.