Noodle salad and fried shrimp: Mandy Yin's recipes for Malaysian home-style prawns
Kerabu is an umbrella term in Malay denoting a vibrant salad of vegetables and herbs, dressed with a fiery sambal, shrimp paste and lime to bring everything together. The dressing is spicy, sharp and smells wonderful from all the herbs. You might also find kerabu noodle salads. This is my very easy version, perfect for hot days, because it doesn't involve any cooking. I've substituted tinned anchovies (use the best you can afford) for the shrimp paste to avoid having to toast the paste. Coincidentally, when I blitzed up the first test of this dressing, it smelled very much like cincalok, another Malaysian speciality of fermented krill mixed with shallots and chillies. A traditional kerabu salad will always include laksa leaves (AKA hot mint), but these are tricky to find in the UK, so I have used a mixture of herbs more commonly found in British supermarkets, not least because I find that the basil goes a little way towards the fragrant pepperiness of hot mint.
Prep 25 minSoak 10 minServes 4-6
For the dressing2 fresh red chillies, seeds and all, stalks discarded, flesh finely chopped1 banana shallot, peeled and roughly chopped 4 fresh makrut lime leaves, stems removed50g tin anchovy fillets, not drainedJuice of ½-1 lime, to taste
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
3 tbsp chilli sauce (I make my own tomato sambal (see recipe below), but I also like Maggi's garlic chilli sauce or sriracha), plus extra to serve1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp tamarind paste, or Worcestershire sauce (I use Lea & Perrins)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad150g mung bean glass noodles, or rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in just-boiled water for at least 10 minutes30g bunch fresh basil (Thai, holy or regular), leaves picked 30g bunch fresh mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped30g bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped, stems and all300g cooked and peeled small cold-water prawns (defrosted if frozen, and any excess water gently squeezed out)¾ cucumber, deseeded and cut into 1cm cubes
Put all the dressing ingredients in a small food processor and blitz to a smooth puree.
Drain the soaked noodles and put them in a large bowl. Roughly tear the basil leaves into the noodles.
At least 15 minutes before you want to serve, to give all the flavours a chance to come together, put all the remaining ingredients and the dressing into the noodle bowl, mix thoroughly and set aside. That said, if you're making this well in advance, don't add the cucumber until 15 minutes before serving, because it releases water after a while, which will make for a very wet salad. Serve with extra sambal or chilli sauce on the side.
This brilliant sambal is a perfect balance of spicy, sweet and tangy, and I'll take it any day over sriracha and even my beloved Maggi garlic chilli sauce. The best thing is that it comes together extremely easily and quickly, and keeps for months in the fridge.
Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Makes 300g
150g fresh red chillies, stalks discarded, flesh roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
60ml vegetable oil
3 tbsp tomato puree
1½ tsp table salt
4½ tbsp dark brown sugar
Using a stick blender or a high-speed blender, blitz the chillies, garlic and oil to a fine puree. Put a small, nonstick saucepan on a medium heat, add the chilli-garlic mixture and stir-fry for 10 minutes; if it starts to splutter too much, turn down the heat a little. Add the tomato puree, salt, sugar and 80ml water, stir-fry for two minutes, just to dissolve everything, then take off the heat and leave to cool. Once cool, decant into a sterilised jar, seal and store in the fridge.
This is an excellent dish from my dad's repertoire. It is based on a dish he used to have as a child in a Chinese restaurant in Malacca. We know it as har lok fried prawns. Yes, it's a bit fiddly, because it requires you to devein shell-on prawns, but that's just about the only real work involved. Frozen, whole, raw jumbo prawns from the supermarket freezer aisle are generally cheaper than fresh ones, so by all means use them instead. The magic of the prawn-infused sauce comes from the tomalley released from the prawn heads and shells.
Prep 5 minCook 30 minServes 4
1kg large shell-on prawns, defrosted if using frozen
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 fresh red chillies, finely sliced 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced3 tbsp light soy sauce 110g ketchup – I use Heinz¼ tsp chilli powder
Devein the prawns by sticking a toothpick through the second shell joint from the tail and pulling up through the flesh. The vein will become loose, so all you have to do then is to pull out the rest of it. Use scissors to trim off each prawn's two long feelers and snip off the very sharp end of the prawn's head.
Put the oil in a large nonstick wok on a high heat. Add the chillies and half the spring onions, stir-fry for a minute, then add the prawns and stir-fry for five or so minutes, until nearly all the shells have turned bright pink – leave the wok alone for 20 seconds at a time between stirring, so the prawns cook through.
Add the soy sauce, ketchup and chilli powder, and stir-fry for a further two minutes, until the sauce thickens. Spoon on to a platter, garnish with the remaining spring onions and eat immediately.
These recipes are edited extracts from Simply Malaysian: Everyday Dishes to Cook at Home, by Mandy Yin, published later this month by Quadrille at £27. To pre-order a copy for £24.30, go to guardianbookshop.com
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Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Five delicious Italian recipes straight from Nonna's cookbook
LUISA Born 1943, San Giuseppe Vesuviano, Italy 'I can't tell you exactly how many years I've been cooking this dish – probably around 60. The key to a good spaghetti alle vongole is to add a lot of oil, and the cooking water from the pasta, to make sure it doesn't go dry. We're just adding the tomatoes for colour and flavour, rather than to make a sauce, but we still want a silky finish at the end. Naples is famous for its vongole and we eat a lot of seafood here in the city. We Napolitani are completely mad about food. It is always on our minds – and usually the topic of conversation. Sunday lunch with family is a ritual we stick to religiously. It is an excuse to come together, share laughter and a great many dishes. A Neapolitan lunch doesn't just last one hour – sometimes it can go on until dinnertime and we will eat and eat and eat and talk about eating while we eat.' LUISA'S SPAGHETTI ALLA VONGOLE (Neapolitan Clam Pasta) This takes very little time to make and is an impressive dish to serve up once you master it. SERVES 4 400g cherry tomatoes 1 heaped tbsp sea salt, plus extra to taste 350g spaghetti 60ml olive oil 4 garlic cloves, halved and green germs removed ½ bunch of parsley, stems and leaves separated, and leaves finely chopped 2 small dried chillies 850g vongole (clams), washed 1 First, cut a cross in the top of each tomato, then set aside. 2 Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add the salt then the spaghetti. Set a timer for 2 minutes before the suggested time on the packet – the pasta will finish cooking with the clams. 3 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a deep frying pan over a low heat and fry the garlic, parsley stems and chillies for 5 minutes, then remove the garlic, parsley and chillies from the pan using a slotted spoon and discard. Add the tomatoes to the pan, bringing the heat to medium, and cover. Let the tomatoes steam in their juices for about 4 minutes, then add the clams, cover again and cook for a minute or so. Add a scant ladle of pasta water to the pan and cook until the clams are open – discard any that aren't. Use a slotted spoon to remove some of the clams and set aside. 4 Drain the pasta, add it to the pan, stirring until the sauce thickens. Divide between dinner plates and add the reserved clams, plus a sprinkling of parsley leaves. Serve immediately. NINETTE Born 1935, Mallorca, Spain 'My mother taught me how to make this dish and it's one that I have reverted to again and again because I find it incredibly adaptable. You can eat the cod warm and serve for a family dinner or it can be eaten the next day with a salad. This way it serves as a good dish throughout the year, as long as you can find the fish and a good-quality one at that. Another important element of the dish is the vinegar. I use a vinegar that is Chardonnay and very high quality from France, but any good-quality white-wine vinegar will work here. My cooking has an element of finesse because for my most formative years I lived in France and loved all things French. The food, the culture, all of it was my own for many years before we moved back to Mallorca. My family owned and ran a bar while we lived in France, so I was raised with an element of 'Frenchness' that I suppose I have never really shaken.' NINETTE'S BACALAO ESCABECHE AL FINO (Spanish Cod Escabeche) This is a showstopper that tastes slightly pickled, and is surprisingly quick and easy to conjure up. 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Add the bay leaves, ½ tablespoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper, then gently simmer for about 30 minutes until very soft. 4 Meanwhile, combine the garlic and tomatoes in a bowl. When the onions are ready, add the tomato and garlic blend to the onions and cook for a minute or so until the mixture has infused with the onions, then follow up with the vinegar. Cook for a further 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. 5 Put the cod on a serving platter, top with the onion mixture and serve. SOULA Born 1946, Peloponnese, Greece 'Lots of people aren't aware that spanakorizo is an interesting combination not only because it tastes good. Spinach is difficult for the human body to digest, but the rice and lemon that we add to it helps the body to absorb the iron. My mother was an excellent cook, and she told me this many years ago. I lived in America for most of my adult life but have returned to Greece for the weather and the good produce. I like to go to my local laiki (market) every Thursday – it's an outing that happens ritually every week. I also tend to go for walks in the surrounding olive groves every day, leaving my brother, whom I live with, to sleep in while I get out and about to catch up with friends or start on the day's chores. I find that what is most important in life is to keep moving. Even when things get tough, we must put one foot in front of the other and keep walking.' SOULA'S SPANAKORIZO (Greek Rice and Spinach Risotto) This dish is a kind of risotto, but in true Greek style the vegetables are the stars and it's much less fussy to make than a traditional Italian version – who has time for all that hovering and stirring? SERVES 4 1 kg fresh spinach (Soula insists it is always fresh – never frozen) 160ml olive oil, plus extra to serve 4 large spring onions, trimmed and chopped into 1cm rounds 2 large leeks, trimmed and cleaned, then chopped into 2.5cm half moons 1 bunch of dill, roughly chopped 2 large garlic cloves (green germs removed), roughly chopped 700ml water 150g medium-grain rice, such as arborio ½ tbsp salt ½ tsp ground black pepper 1 chicken stock cube, optional (reduce the salt by half if using) ½ lemon, for squeezing feta and bread, to serve 1 First wash the spinach. Add it to a large bowl of water with a splash of vinegar and wash well, roughly tearing it to pieces as you do so and removing any tough stalks. The vinegar will ensure you get rid of any little 'friends' hiding in the leaves. 2 Drain the spinach and put it in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Cover and leave to steam for 10 minutes. Next add the olive oil, followed by the spring onions, leeks, dill and garlic. Cook, stirring every so often, for about 5 minutes. 3 Pour in 700ml water and add the rice, salt, pepper and stock cube (if using). Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop the rice sticking. 4 Once the rice is tender, season again to taste, adding a squeeze of lemon for a final zingy flourish. Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil, a slab of feta and plenty of crusty bread. LATIFA Born 1945, Tunis, Tunisia 'I've been eating lablebi since I was a little girl. It's our 'fast food' here in Tunis – the thing young people eat at five o'clock in the morning after a night out in the city. In some regions of Tunisia they serve it inside a baguette, like a sandwich. It soaks up the alcohol after a heavy night. Of course, I wouldn't know about this because when I was a young girl I was mainly kept indoors. I grew up in the Medina, but I rarely saw it because I wasn't allowed to play outside. We were seven children in total and my brothers were the only ones of us that were allowed to venture out. I didn't know any different and this was the norm, so I never questioned it.' LATIFA'S LABLEBI (Tunisian Chickpea Soup) Lablebi is a staple of Tunisian cuisine, although its origins can also be linked to the Ottoman occupation of Tunis in the 1600s, when chickpeas were served to Ottoman soldiers as a thrifty and filling meal. It's hot, hearty and the perfect go-to recipe if you ever feel a cold coming on. This recipe is for those well versed in spice. If you want a mellower lablebi, halve or even quarter the harissa quantity and then add more at the end if you need it, along with the other toppings. 500g dried chickpeas 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 70ml olive oil ½ bulb of garlic, cloves thinly sliced ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tbsp harissa, plus extra to serve ½ tbsp sea salt 4-6 slices of days-old bread TO SERVE capers poached or boiled eggs good-quality tinned tuna 1 The day before you want to make the lablebi, put the chickpeas in a large bowl, add half the bicarbonate of soda, cover with water and leave to soak overnight. 2 The next day, drain the chickpeas, then add to a large saucepan with 2 litres of water. Put over a high heat and start to bring to the boil as you add the remaining bicarbonate of soda followed by the oil, garlic, pepper, cumin, turmeric and harissa. Cover almost completely (leaving a space uncovered for the steam to escape) and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a steady simmer and cook for 20 minutes. 3 After the time is up, add the salt, then simmer for a further 20 minutes. Check to see if the chickpeas have softened by taking a few out and pressing on them with a fork or, even better, tasting them. 4 When you're ready to serve, break up the bread into the bottom of your bowls and spoon over the lablebi (you can choose to have it dense like a stew or loose like a ramen), then finish with the other toppings as you like. MARYSE Born 1940, Uzès, France 'Like most foods of the peasant people, this courgette gratin was simply born out of an abundance of its key ingredient: courgettes. My parents were farmers from the Camargue. They grew their own vegetables, and we would have so many courgettes in the summer months that my mother practically raised us on this gratin. Some people don't use garlic in this béchamel, or else they use it to flavour it slightly and then take it out. Being from the south, I keep the garlic in. I've been cooking for 63 years. When I was a young girl we would be taught by our mothers how to get by in the kitchen in order to be able to satisfy our future husbands. What I've learnt in these six decades in the kitchen is that delicious food really needs a certain dedication of time. It's difficult for young people now to make something truly satisfying because everything's always done in such a rush. The truth is, time is necessary for food to be good; it's an essential pause in the day to treat oneself.' MARYSE'S COURGETTE GRATIN FROM THE CAMARGUE, SOUTHERN FRANCE This recipe can be found all over the south of France. While it's baked in a béchamel sauce along with added butter and cheese (the latter helps the dish achieve the all-important golden crust that is essential to a gratin), this courgette bake is light, and it pairs perfectly with a meatier main – or perhaps even just a green salad on a summer's day. SERVES 4 as a main, 6 as a side 800g courgettes, sliced into 5mm rounds 40g Emmental, finely grated For the béchamel 4 tbsp plain flour 390ml whole milk, plus another 6 tbsp 1 tbsp sunflower oil 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1½ tsp flaky sea salt 4 tbsp double cream 10g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing freshly ground white or black pepper 1 Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6 and grease a casserole dish (alternatively a roughly 25cm x 32cm baking dish or baking tray) generously with butter. 2 Prepare a steamer (or steamer basket over a saucepan of hot water) and steam the courgette slices for 6 minutes. 3 Meanwhile, start preparing the béchamel. Combine the flour with 90ml of the milk in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. 4 When the courgettes have steamed (they should be slightly softened at this stage but still possess a bit of bite), drain them in a colander and leave to dry. 5 Heat the sunflower oil in the same saucepan over a low to medium heat and fry the garlic, taking care to stop before it begins to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for a minute, then add the remaining milk to the pan, along with the salt and a grind of white or black pepper. Return to a low to medium heat. Now add the flour-and-milk mixture and stir like crazy with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes until you have a smooth and viscous béchamel sauce. You don't want it to be very thick – rather a pourable consistency, like cream. Remove from the heat and add the cream and butter, stirring until combined. 6 Put the courgettes in your chosen baking dish. You don't need to arrange them delicately in layers (although you can if you want to go for a 'fancy' look). Maryse just tips them in and shakes the dish to disperse the courgettes evenly. Pour the béchamel sauce over the courgettes and sprinkle over the cheese and 6 tbsp milk. Bake in the oven on the top shelf for 25 minutes, or until the gratin is bubbling and golden. MARGARITA Born 1932, Mallorca, Spain 'I've reached my nineties, but I don't particularly feel very old. Thankfully, I can still get around and take care of myself as well as the children and grandchildren. I have a life of hard work to thank for that. I was born into a family that wasn't hugely wealthy and so, like many children at the time, I was sent to the estate of a rich French family here in Mallorca. That way, my parents could ensure I would be well taken care of, but it also meant that I couldn't go to school. I was nine years old when I left to work on the estate and I was terrified to leave my mother, but I have to say that, in the end, they took very good care of me and treated me as their own daughter. I learned a lot there about the land and about cooking, which I have loved ever since. It was in that first job that I learned to make coca de verduras. I've been making it for over 80 years now, so we can say I've become an expert. The key to this recipe and my ultimate tip is to use a hardy iron tray to make it and to cook it on the lowest level of the oven with the top and bottom setting on. You want the vegetables to caramelise and the dough to cook at the same time. No one wants a soggy dough. You want it to come out crispy like a tart.' MARGARITA'S COCA DE VERDURAS (Mallorcan Vegetable Tart) Every Mallorcan is familiar with coca de verduras, a crisp, thin-based tart weighed heavy with plenty of vegetables. The coca is described as a flatbread or pizza as it isn't yeasted at all. It's best enjoyed with a beer and a couple of other small plates and would make a great addition to a picnic, packed lunch or garden party spread. SERVES 12 SLICES 1 butterhead lettuce (about 150g), trimmed and finely chopped 2 tsp flaky sea salt 2 small leeks, finely chopped 6 spring onions, finely chopped 1 small bunch of parsley, leaves finely chopped 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 garlic clove, crushed or grated 150ml olive oil 2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced handful For the pastry ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 100ml cold water 100ml olive oil 50g lard or unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes 300g plain flour, plus extra as needed 1 Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and line a roughly 38cm x 25cm baking tray, preferably cast iron, with baking parchment. 2 Put the chopped lettuce into a large bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the salt and massage it into the lettuce to break it down a little. Add the leeks, spring onions and parsley to the bowl with the remaining teaspoon of salt, the pepper, paprika, garlic and olive oil. Stir to combine. 3 Next, make the pastry. In a separate bowl, combine the bicarbonate of soda with the water, olive oil and your choice of fat. Stir to combine and break down the cubes of fat a little. 4 Add the flour bit by bit, combining with your hands and rubbing the cubes of fat into the flour to break them up. Do this until it comes together into a soft, pliable ball that doesn't feel sticky. Add more flour or water a teaspoon at a time if the dough is too wet or dry. You are going to press this into the tray rather than roll it, so you don't want it to be too stiff. 5 Place the dough in the centre of the prepared tray and pat it down to flatten it. Begin to spread it out across the entire base of the tray with your hands, pressing in with your fingers and pushing the pastry outwards until it reaches the edges in a thin, even layer. Prick it all over with a fork, then bake on the bottom of the oven (not on a shelf) for 5 minutes. Placing it on the bottom of the oven will help the base crisp up. 6 After 5 minutes, when the base is a little more firm, remove the tray from the oven and cover the pastry evenly with the greens, then spread the slices of tomato on top. Return to the bottom of the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then move to the top of the oven for a final 5 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the topping is nicely cooked and slightly charred in places. Remove from the oven and top with the toasted pine nuts, then serve hot or cold. NOW BUY THE BOOK Our recipes are taken from Mediterranea by Anastasia Miari with photographs by Marco Argüello (Quadrille, £28). To order a copy for £23.80 until 17 August, go to or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25.
The Independent
6 days ago
- The Independent
Thailand sets up safe spaces for pets whose owners fled border violence
As residents along Thailand's border with Cambodia fled the ongoing fighting, many tried to take their animals with them. For those who were unable to do so, livestock officials stepped in to help. Thailand's Livestock Department asked its local offices to provide safe space for animals whose owners have had to evacuate, and the offices in several border provinces announced they were ready to do so. In Surin province, several cages were placed under cover at the front of the local Livestock Breeding and Research Center as temporary kennels. Five dogs and two cats were staying at the center as of Sunday. The capacity is around 20 animals. Sornchai Kongsook, director of the livestock center, said owners can leave their pets for free, but they have to be able to visit every day to take care of the animals. 'We have opened our space for cats and dogs that the residents, or farmers, can't take into an evacuation center,' he said. 'There are also some owners who have chosen to stay at a hotel, which doesn't allow pets.' He said livestock are welcome at the center, although none has been left there so far. Officials have prepared food to be distributed to cows and buffaloes left behind in danger zones. Many northeastern Thais are farmers and usually own livestock. Several of them roam the fields in areas that are now largely deserted. The armed clashes between Thailand and Cambodia since last week have killed dozens of people and displaced thousands. Wilawan Duangvao, an elementary school teacher, left her dogs, Khawtom and Khaitun, at the shelter Saturday after she received an order to evacuate her home in Prasat district. She was able to return to check on them the following day. As she approached the cage they were being kept in, they stood up barking, wagging their tails and jumping around excitedly. A tearful Wilawan picked up Khawtom, a 2-year-old mix of shih tzu and poodle. Khaitun, a younger mix of American bully and Thai street dog, stood on his hind legs inside the cage as Wilawan and her husband played with both dogs and comforted them. Wilawan said it was a difficult decision to leave her pets, but she couldn't stay at home and needed to find a safe place for them. 'At our home now, water and electricity have been cut. I don't feel comfortable leaving them at home. I'm afraid they'll go into shock,' she said. Wilawan said she is now taking care of evacuees staying at her school, which has been converted to a temporary shelter, which does not allow animals. She said she can't thank officials enough for offering a safe space for her pets. 'I'm so grateful. Everyone here is very welcoming. They took them in and I'm relieved. They didn't ask for anything in return,' she said.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- The Guardian
‘Like my other half': man mourns wife and children killed buying snacks amid Thailand-Cambodia clashes
It was Thursday morning, and Komsan Prachan's two children would normally have been in school. Instead, their village in north-eastern Thailand had been put on high alert. Fighting had broken out on the country's disputed border with Cambodia. Local officials cancelled classes and sent messages over loudspeakers telling residents to prepare to evacuate. Komsan and his wife, Rungrat, went to fetch eight-year-old Pongsapak and 14-year-old Taksatorn from school. They were heading home to collect the children's grandparents when they stopped briefly at a petrol station in Sisaket province. Rungrat nipped into the shop with the children to get some snacks, while Komsan waited in the car. It was then that a rocket hit. Rungrat, Taksatorn and Pongsapak were among eight people killed. 'My wife is like the other half of my life,' said Komsan. The couple had grown up together, had attended the same school, and fell in love when they both went to work in Bangkok. 'She is so caring. She would always ask me and everyone if they were OK, had they had enough sleep, had they eaten?' Across Thailand 20 people have been killed, including 13 civilians and seven soldiers. In Cambodia, 13 people have been killed, including five soldiers and eight civilians. More than 200,000 people have been evacuated from border areas in both countries. At a temple in the Non Khun district in Sisaket, government officials visited communities who had left their homes, telling them over a microphone to put their safety first. They offered condolences to families whose relatives had been killed, and announced in a small ceremony that they would be given compensation – though recognised no amount of money would make up for what had been lost. Communities in border areas have lived through clashes in 2008 and 2011. But residents say it was never this bad. 'This time it just keeps on going,' said Prasit Saopa, a 52-year-old farmer, who sat outside the temple. He did not bring any belongings when he fled his home, because the family assumed they would only have to evacuate for a short time, as was the case in the past. He risked going home on Friday to collect emergency supplies, stopping in a bunker along the way for cover. It was like a ghost town, he says – except for the sound of booming artillery. Prasit's village has not been hit, but about 20 rubber trees in a nearby field have been damaged, and a home in the adjacent village about 500 metres away. He said he wanted the Thai military to take a tough stance and 'clear out' the Cambodian soldiers from the border area. He did not have a problem with Cambodian people, he added. 'Cambodian people – we are just friends, they are normal, good people. The problem is Hun Sen,' he said, referring to the powerful authoritarian former leader who was the prime minister of Cambodia for almost 40 years, and whose son Hun Manet is now in office. On Saturday, Donald Trump said Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to 'immediately meet' to work out a ceasefire, after speaking with both sides. The US would not negotiate a trade deal with either side until the fighting stopped, he said. The following day clashes continued regardless. Both Thailand and Cambodia are facing the prospect of a 36% US tariff from 1 August. Both sides have blamed each other for opening fire. The latest tensions are compounded by an acrimonious feud between Hun Sen and the former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra, whose daughter Paetongtarn is the prime minister. Last month, Hun Sen leaked a recording of a phone conversation between himself and Paetongtarn. It caused uproar in Thailand, where she was accused of kowtowing to Cambodia, and she was suspended from office by the constitutional court. It is unclear why Hun Sen decided to leak the phone call, but analysts say the personal feud between the men has created an additional level of volatility. Thaksin has denied that the clashes are driven by their personal issues – a criticism made by many Thais on social media. He said last week the Thai military should teach Hun Sen a lesson, as the two politicians traded insults online. 'I want to go back to how it used to be,' said Duan Ounjit, 50. The men in her family stayed behind to watch their houses, and said on Saturday the fighting was continuing. The rest of the family, 15 in total, were evacuated last week. Beside Duan, covered in blankets, lies her niece's one-month-old baby, Arm. Duan isn't optimistic they will return any time soon. The family's rice fields, which need to be fertilised, were likely to be ruined, she said. For Komsan, the cost of the fighting is incalculable. He was able to recover his daughter, but doctors were unable to save her. Emergency workers later recovered the body of a woman hugging her young child, believed to be Rungrat and Pongsapak. Taksatorn was such a good child, he said, always helping at home with the cleaning and cooking, and listening to her parents. 'If you asked her for help, she would always say yes,' he said. Pongsapak was always fun and jolly. 'Whenever he went there would be joy and smiles,' said Komsan. 'Nothing can ever replace their lives.'
