Num banhchok facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Num Banh Chok, Cambodian rice noodles, Khmer noodles, nom panchok, nom pachok, noum bahnchok, num panchok, num pachok |
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| Course | Breakfast or sometimes lunch |
| Place of origin | Cambodia |
| Region or state | Southeast Asia |
| Associated national cuisine | Cambodia |
| Serving temperature | Warm to room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Lightly-fermented rice noodles, yellow kroeung, prahok, freshwater fish, coconut milk/coconut cream, bean sprouts, cucumber, water lily stems, and wing beans |
| Variations | num banhchok samlar kari, num banhchok namya, num banhchok Kampot, num banhchok tuek mrech, num banhchok samla yuon, num banhchok sras |
| Similar dishes | mohinga, khanom chin, mixian |
Num banhchok (Khmer: នំបញ្ចុក, num bânhchŏk [nom ɓaɲcok]) are lightly-fermented Cambodian rice noodles and a breakfast noodle dish. There are many regional variations of num banhchok across the country.
Preparation
The num banhchok are made by soaking the rice for 2–4 hours and grinding them into a liquidy paste. The paste is pressed into round shapes and dried inside calico bags. Then it is pulverized and turned into a viscous paste, which is extruded into boiling water. The noodles are boiled for 3–4 minutes and transferred to cold water.
In folklore
Num banhchok is featured in a popular Khmer folk legend about an influential revolutionary and scholar Thonchey. Thonchey was exiled to China by the Khmer king, where Thonchey began making num banhchok as a way to make a living. The dish quickly gained popularity among the Chinese and eventually attracted even the attention of the Chinese emperor. The emperor summoned Thonchey to bring num banhchok to his palace. Thonchey arrived and while the emperor was tasting the dish Thonchey managed to see the emperor's face, insulted him and was immediately thrown into jail. Soon Thonchey managed to get released and returned to the Khmer Empire.
