Phnom Penh-Nha Trang Market

Soak it and see.

An hour earlier, these two poontalai seeds (1.5 oz., about 35 seeds; 90 cents), from Vietnam, were each about the size of an almond, but after immersion in cold water the one at right has swelled into an unseemly blob. It's all texture, no flavor, but once the kernel has been plucked out, in Vietnam the remaining jellylike mass is added to ice, sugar, and basil seeds to create a cooling beverage. (There's seems to be something about the mouthfeel of soaked basil seeds and poontalai seeds that induces sipping, rather than gulping, and stimulates the salivary glands.)

The shelves of this market are filled with goods from across Southeast Asia, though none from Phnom Penh. Even so, on a previous visit one of the owners explained that the Thai desserts on the counter, though "called differently," are very similar to their Cambodian counterparts. "Thais make this one bigger," she said, pointing to a ruffled yellow number; regarding another, she observed, "we mix the coconut into the taro, instead of putting it on top." My pick: piegpoon (3 oz.; $2), a paste of sweet rice flour beneath a flurry of shredded coconut.

On a more recent, Dayat brand dried longans (70 g., $1.50), from Taiwan, had a flavor indistinguishable from dried dates, but in the form of nubbins shriveled to the point of gnarliness. I resorted to this snack pack only because the counter, sad to say, was bereft of locally made sweets.

Phnom Penh-Nha Trang Market
2639 Jerome Ave. (near East 193rd St.), Fordham, Bronx
718-741-9100

Comments

[kim]

the Chinese use the poontalai seeds as a medicinal purpose when one loses voice due to sore throat.

[Dave Cook]

On my Flickr page for the before-and-after photo, a reader elaborates:

This is called Pang Da Hai in Chinese. It is commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine. You soak the seed in hot water, and let it expand, then drink the tea. It is great at treating sore throat and loss of voice.