By Kathleen Pierce, kpierce@lowellsun.com
Seafood pineapple fried rice at Tepthida Khmer in Lowell. sun/jon hill
LOWELL -- In the 1920s, during Prohibition, Americans began to experiment with Chinese food. The cuisine of this faraway land was deemed exotic and those tired of stuffy hotel restaurants glommed onto the trendy feel of Sterno-fired pu-pu platters, flaming duck and fried rice.
Nowadays ordering Chinese takeout is as American as a swing through the golden arches. More complex Southeast Asian fare from Thailand and Vietnam has eclipsed the allure of Chinese. Pad Thai and pho have become ho-hum and sushi is so overexposed it's enough to make a curious palate wonder what's new under the spatula.
Enter the earthy, tantalizing flavors of Khmer cuisine.
The hard-to-pronounce, but easy-to-devour Cambodian specialties at Tepthida Khmer are a good place to start. Opening last week on Chelmsford Street, this sleek oasis has been met with approval by natives, neighbors and picky foodies alike. Owner Ely Phlek Hsu of Lexington tried out 15 chefs until she found what she was looking for in Pou Saroeun, who makes Iron Chef contestants look sluggish.
Chef Pou Saroeun in the kitchen at Tepthida Khmer Restaurant, ( Sun photo by Jon Hill )
At the helm of a giant wok, powered by a hidden blowtorch, the tiny man tosses in chicken and spices, flinging the mix in the air as several line chefs bark orders in Khmer. At his right, bandana-clad sous chef Tom Rifenberg follows his moves. On the far right, a vat of hot oil awaits a shiny silver tilapia. How fresh is it? A woman removes a just-dunked fish from the oil to show it to a visitor and it's still moving.
Arriving on a plate five minutes later, covered in a pineapple-pepper glaze, it's the epitome of tender white fish. Order it Cambodian-style, with bones, and a whole fish -- head and all -- arrives. When it comes to eating Cambodian, patience is a virtue.
"You have to move it around and feel it in your mouth, but you have to be careful," said Hsu, ripping a piece of lettuce and scooping up a mango salad.
Savoring each bite through slow, meditative chomps is how this Phnom Penh native eats. And after a sampling of competing flavorful dishes at Tepthida Khmer, it's sound advice. The pungency of cha greung -- a spicy dish made of ground chicken -- pops in your mouth, but you don't want to follow it up with the strong spice of a mango salad.
Just when you thought stir-fry could only be paired so many ways, Tepthida Khmer's take on chicken, shrimp and salmon will renew your faith in Asian food. Served in a carved-out pineapple, the fried shrimp dish, with stir-fried pineapple, is savory-sweet.
Owner Ely Phlek
With signature ingredients like lemongrass, lime leaves, coconut milk and fish sauce, Cambodian cuisine is exciting and earthy. Galanga, a root that resembles ginger, is used liberally in most dishes. And lime is the wedge of choice.
The name Tepthida Khmer means an angelic, spiritual woman. Hsu's mission is to empower women back home by donating some of the proceeds of her sales to such efforts in Asia.
"I left the unfortunate women of my country behind. I want Cambodian women to empower themselves and believe in themselves."
Tepthida Khmer, 115 Chelmsford St., Lowell, (978) 453-1694, http://www.tepthida.com. Open daily from 8 a.m.-11 p.m.
This article appeared in the Lowell Sun on Thursday, August 16, 2007