Journey to Cambodia: Connecting With My Culinary Roots Through Photography and Food
After fleeing the Khmer Rouge in 1975, writer-photographer Deana Saukam’s family never went back to Cambodia. Recently, she made the journey herself.
By Deana Saukam
How to Host a Digital Dinner Party
Hosting a dinner party… virtually? Given the (smart) prevalence of the #stayhome and #flattenthecurve movement, with people practicing social distancing, it’s officially a thing. Folks are propping up their phones and laptops, tablets and monitors, and connecting with their friends over food… from much more than six feet away!
It’s such a great move, eliminating loneliness and hunger in one fell swoop, so we had to reach out to some of our favorite bloggers and Instagrammers to find out how they make it as wonderful as a night curled up in front of a favorite film.
Meet Deana Saukam
Why we love Deana Saukam: Deana is special to us because she epitomizes the heart of a traveler. She’s brave, fearless, headstrong; bold and proud of it. We never cease to be inspired by her unending devotion to exploring the world and generously sharing her discoveries.
Cambodian Rice Noodle Soup
Kuy teav, a rice noodle soup traditionally served for breakfast in Cambodia, takes on layers of flavor from shrimp, pork, and vegetables. In Deana Saukam’s version, you ladle the rich stock over crisp lettuce leaves and rice noodles then top to your liking with herbs, sliced chiles, soy sauce, and lime.
Stir-Fried Squid with Green Peppercorns
A hot wok brings this stir-fried squid from Deana Saukam together in minutes. Green peppercorns are common in the food of the riverside village of Kampot in southern Cambodia. They are more floral than spicy, a great match for the delicate seafood.
Grilled Mackerel with Garlic Dipping Sauce
Whole mackerel is made for the grill: The dense, oily fish stays moist inside and absorbs a gentle smoke. This Cambodian version from Deana Saukam, trey ang, comes with melted scallions and the Cambodian equivalent of a salsa verde—bold and zingy with lime, cilantro, and sliced Thai chiles.
How Food Writer Deana Saukam Entertains on the Road
Also: the best dumplings we’ve EVER had.
Travel and food writer Deana Saukam is not an easy girl to pin down. When she isn’t hopping between Austin and Los Angeles, Deana (aka faim fatale) maintains an itinerary that would impress the most die hard traveler. She’s been around the world and back, and tasted EVERYTHING along the way. Thai-spiced grasshoppers, Parisian éclairs, Maldivian egg curry… there isn’t much she’s afraid to bite into. But of all her favorite foodie destinations, Cambodia is the one she can’t stop going back to. She’s passionate about Cambodian food, and deeply inspired by the idea of sharing this culture’s incredible cuisine with the rest of the world. She’s currently working on a Cambodian cookbook, but in the meantime she’s sharing her love of Cambodian cooking the old fashioned way — by inviting a few friends over for a home cooked meal.
Deana Saukam’s Kuy Teav
“Growing up, my mother would make this dish every weekend for us at home,” says food and travel writer Deana Saukam. “This is a traditional Cambodian noodle soup and different variations are eaten throughout the country. My recipe is derived from a version that I learned in the countryside of Cambodia, outside Siem Reap.
DIY Dumplings Might Be the Best Girls Night Idea Ever
Last week we caught up with food and travel writer Deana Saukam while she was visiting friends in Austin. It was so much fun hanging with this fun group of girls and watching them work together to make Deana’s DIY dumplings. When I say these scallop and garlic chive blossom wontons were good, I mean that both the photographer and myself independently went to Whole Foods to buy dumplings the next day for lunch. (NOT the same.)
Best Asian Food in Los Angeles with Deana Saukam
Deana Saukam is a food writer and photographer who has mastered the noodle lift and has the Instagram shots to prove it. Although she’s based in LA, she is a bonafide globetrotter, having just returned from a food-filled ricochet from Shanghai to Tokyo to Hong Kong and back.
Hip To Be Square
By Deana Saukam
We sent the ever-peripatetic Deana Saukam down under on a search for the best lamingtons, Australia’s most iconic cake.
Bake From Scratch Magazine, September/October 2017
Her Style: Our August Cover Star, Bella Hadid Plays Favorites
The Art of Plating, 10 Food Bloggers to Follow on Instagram
10 Instagram Accounts That Will Inspire Wanderlust
With a background in communications and passion for food and travel, following Deana Saukam might leave you both envious and hungry. She claims to split her time between Austin, Texas and Paris, France, but I swear she’s always in some far-flung destination, eating incredible food. A must for any person who travels to eat!
Feed Your Soul: Song Saa, Cambodia
Best Instagram Accounts To Follow Based On Where You’re Studying Abroad
Deana Saukam, or Faim Fatale, is a jack of all trades: she formerly owned and operated restaurants, but now dedicates her time towards writing and photographing for her own blog among many other food, travel, and fashion publications, and manages chefs, PR, social media, and events. If gorgeous landscapes and mouthwatering food porn is your thing, give this gal a follow.
Le Grand Bol Review
Our Top 10 Instagram Photos of the Year
It’s been said that we eat with our eyes first. If that’s the case, then our Instagram is proof that we’ve eaten very well this year. Many of our chef friends were even kind enough to give us a peek of where they traveled to in our Instagram takeovers. From Dubai to Cambodia to Kazakhstan and back to our home base of New York City, we had quite a global year. Not following us yet? You’re just one click away! And don’t forget to tag your food photos with #FRavorites for a chance at a repost. Here are our 10 most popular Instagram photos of 2016.
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The Eater Guide to Paris: What’s the Deal With All the Bo Bun in Paris?
The Eater Guide to Paris: Where to Eat in Paris’s Little Tokyo
Where in the World to Eat
13 Places To Eat Incredibly Well In Sicily
Deana Saukam On How She Satiates Her ‘Faim Fatale’
Where To Eat And Drink On France’s Emerald Coast
8 Incredible BBQ Spots in Texas
The Magic of Morocco
Where To Eat Asian Food In Paris
Where To Eat In Austin During SXSW
In honor of the massive SXSW conference in Austin this weekend, we’re showcasing some of the city’s best places to eat. Here, F&W Around the World Network correspondent Deana Saukam of Faim Fatale (@faimfatale) tours insider spots for the best pastries, day-drinking and breakfast tacos. Stop into her favorite places between checking out the top SXSW food events—including two featuring Food & Wine!
Why Instagram Deserves Its Own James Beard Award
In anticipation of this inevitable conclusion, consider the following to be Food Republic’s open submission for Best Instagram in 2017: a sampling of snapshots taken by restaurant impresario and Instagram sensation Deana Saukam (@faimfatale) while visiting her family’s ancestral homeland, Cambodia, for the first time this past February — part of our continuing #FRtakeover series. Taken as a whole, the images present a captivating look at a vibrant culture that has gracefully recovered from its dark past. And the food looks amazing!
14 SXSW Beauty Street Style Looks to Copy Right Now
LifeMix, 8 Foodie Instagram Accounts To Follow Right Now
A play on the classic film term ‘femme fatale,’ Deana Saukam’s Instagram, Faim Fatale translates to ‘fatal hunger’ in French. Deana’s photos are as perfect as she is clever. Her Instagram focuses on her food travels around the globe. Follow for instant wanderlust and food envy.
Travel Instagram Inspiration
Oh, Those London Nights
Feast Your Eyes
Cambodian is the Greatly Underappreciated Outlier In Asian Cooking. This Needs To Change.
What to Wear to Work
Paul Qui and Deana Saukam Take Us to Their Top Food Trucks
8 Food And Travel Instagram Accounts That Make Us Jealous
Favorite Things: Deana Saukam
Don’t be fooled by Deana Saukam’s diminutive frame—the girl can eat. Scroll through her Instagram feed (@faimfatale), and you’ll see plates piled high with delicacies from her travels to Hong Kong, Portland, Oregon, Copenhagen and more…
Passport to Hong Kong
Tribeza, Cover: The Style Issue
Paul Qui and Deana Saukam: The Creators Behind The Best New Restaurant In America Talk Travel
Foodies to Follow During the Austin Food & Wine Festival
