Explore Cambodian cuisine through 17 irresistible delicious dishes

When explore Cambodia, in addition to Cambodia tour packages to visit the majestic Angkor Wat, cuisine is also something you cannot miss. Let's explore Cambodia's rich cuisine with Threeland Travel!

Explore Cambodian cuisine through 17 irresistible, delicious dishes

1. Bai sach chrouk (pork rice)

Bai sach chrouk is one of the simple dishes of Cambodian cuisine. Thinly sliced pork is grilled over charcoal. Sometimes, people marinate pork with coconut milk or garlic, causing bai sach chrouk to have many different flavors in different regions of the "country of temples and towers.". Accompanying the grilled pork are broken rice, cucumbers and radishes, ginger, and a bowl of broth with fresh and fried onions.

Address: Samnang Kitchen Restaurant - No. 155, Toul Tom Poung Market, Phnom Penh.

2. Red Khmer curry

Not as spicy as Thai curry, Khmer Rouge curry uses coconut milk as the main flavor, without chili powder. Use beef, fish, and chicken with eggplant, cowpeas, potatoes, fresh coconut water, lemon grass, and kroeung. Khmer red curry is often eaten with bread.

Address:

• Kabbas Restaurant – 48Eo, Street 172 Chey Chomneas, Daun Penh, Phnom Penh 12206, Cambodia.
• Khmer Grill – Watdamnak street, Wat damak Sangkat Salakamrouk village, Siem Reap, 17254, Cambodia.

3. Lap Khmer-Khmer beef salad with lemon

Khmer beef salad with lemon and lime consists of thinly sliced beef that has been blanched or made rare with lemon juice. Mix lemon grass, onions, garlic, fish sauce, basil, mint, cowpeas, and fresh pepper, beef for just the right amount of sweetness and saltiness, and add a little spiciness from chili flakes.

Address:

• Kabbas Restaurant – 48Eo, Street 172 Chey Chomneas, Daun Penh, Phnom Penh, 12206, Cambodia.
• Khmer Grill – Watdamnak street, Wat damak Sangkat Salakamrouk village, Siem Reap, 17254, Cambodia.

4. Kdam chaa – fried crab

Kdam-chaa-ivivu Fried crab is a specialty of Kep town, Cambodia. The famous crab market in town is known for fried crab with Kampot green pepper. In particular, you can only enjoy fresh Kampot pepper when traveling to Cambodia.

Address:

• Holy Crab – Krong Kaeb, Cambodia.
• Mr. Mab Phsar Kdam – Kep crab market Phsar Kdam, Kep, 07503, Cambodia.

5. Ang dtray meuk—grilled squid

Ang dtray-meuk-ivivu In Cambodian coastal areas, such as Sihanoukville and Kep, there are many street vendors with golden grilled squid eggs. The squid is soaked in lemon juice and fish sauce, then skewered on bamboo sticks before grilling. Squid dish served with soy sauce with Kampot pepper, garlic, chili, lemon, and sugar.

6. Cha houy teuk – jelly sweet soup

Cha houy teuk is a dish in Cambodian cuisine with an extremely rich flavor. This dessert is made from ingredients such as red beans, taro, pumpkin, and jackfruit, especially coconut milk.

7. Fried fish

Fried fish on a fire plate is only served in restaurants or at festivals. Fried fish with curry, coconut milk sauce, yellow kroeung, and chili, placed on a large plate. Cauliflower and cabbage are cooked with curry. This fried fish dish is often eaten with rice or noodles.

Address: SaMaKy Restaurant & Lounge – 9E0 Street 51, corner 278 West of Wat Langka Temple, Phnom Penh.

8. Palm sugar

Cambodia has many palm trees, closely associated with people's lives. Palmyra leaves are used for roofing, and tree trunks are used for pillars. Palmyra water is sweet, distilled from palmyra flowers, and cooked into sugar. Palm sugar is not only used to make sweet soup, but can also be added to food, soup, or braised dishes. In addition, palmyra water is also processed into a light wine-like wine called "ie-thot-chu" (sour palmyra).

9. Amok (Amok trey) – steamed fish

Amok is a typical traditional fish dish in Cambodian cuisine. The main ingredient of amok is fish, but the type of fish used here is mainly freshwater fish. The fish will have its bones removed, cut into small pieces, and mixed with coconut milk, eggs, fish sauce, palm sugar, chili... Especially to make the amok dish more flavorful, the kroeung mixture—Cambodia's special sauce is indispensable. Made from turmeric, lemon, purple onions, and many other typical spices of Cambodian cuisine.

Amok fish dish is put into a small bowl-like mold made of banana leaves, steamed until cooked. Before being served, amok will be added with chopped green lime leaves, red chili,, with a little white coconut milk on top. Therefore, after steaming the mok fish, it looks very eye-catching and strangely attractive. Currently, in addition to using fish as an ingredient, Cambodians sometimes break this traditional dish with other ingredients such as chicken, beef, pork, tofu... to create a different flavor.

Address:

• Kabbas Restaurant – 48Eo, Street 172 Chey Chomneas, Daun Penh, Phnom Penh, 12206, Cambodia.
• Khmer Surin Restaurant – 8e0, St 57, Phnom Penh, 12302, Cambodia.

10. Lam rice

Lam rice is considered a type of sticky rice that is grilled in bamboo tubes for a unique flavor. Lam rice is mixed by Cambodians with peanuts or coconut. The ingredients for making Lam rice are fragrant sticky rice, a type of glutinous rice from the Cambodian countryside grown using Thai techniques. Dwarf sticky rice has high yields, the seeds are very fragrant, and pesticides are used little when cultivated.

Address: Angkor Night Market, Siem Reap.

11. Dishes from insects

 Cambodians love to use insects to prepare many dishes. From rice crickets and ant eggs to eggplants and spider mites, fried, stir-fried, stuffed with peanuts, steamed rice, and soaked in vinegar are all very delicious. Among them, the dishes are made from Ca Cuong - a useful insect that makes the dish attractive and has a spicy flavor.

Compared to dishes made from insects in Thailand and Laos, dishes made from insects in Cambodia are less diverse, mainly crickets and spiders, especially dishes made from insects. more sophisticated, with less seasoning.

Address: Skun spider market in Kampong Cham - National Highway 6, Skun, Cambodia.

12. Hoc beef sauce (prahok)

Bo hoc fish sauce is made from young fish, ling fish, or snakehead fish, because snakehead fish and ling fish have a lot of meat, and the meat is very sweet when incubated for a long time. The fish is cleaned thoroughly to remove the fishy smell, the head is cut off and seasoned with garlic, sugar, soy sauce, etc. The fish is dried in the sun, washed again, and then placed in a jar with rice and salt. Use bamboo slats to tighten the jar of fish sauce and ferment for 4 to 6 months. The finished fish sauce will be dark red in color, thick, and fragrant.

13. Kuy teav (noodle soup)

Kuy teav is a noodle dish in Cambodia and also a popular breakfast dish for the people here, often sold by street vendors. The broth in this dish is made from beef or pork bones, flavored with fried shallots, green onions, garlic, and bean sprouts. Pork or beef balls are popular "toppings" added to a bowl of noodles before serving.

Address:

• Kuy Teav Orussey Siem Reap – 302 NR63, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia.
• Chet Kuy Teav Vanda (183) – Street 183, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

14. Samlor kako

Samlor kako is considered one of the typical dishes of Cambodia. Samlor kako includes green kroeung, prahok, roasted rice, catfish, pork or chicken, vegetables, fruits and herbs. In Khmer, “samlor” means soup, and “kako” means to mix or stir, so it is a mixed soup cooked with a variety of vegetables depending on preference. Usually, this dish is cooked from pumpkin, papaya, green bananas, eggplant and long beans. The fish meat is mixed with prahok, then all the vegetables are put in a pot with boiling water so that the dish is cooked over moderate heat.

Address: SaMaKy Restaurant & Lounge – 9E0 Street 51, corner 278 West of Wat Langka Temple, Phnom Penh.

15. Prahok ktis

Cambodian rich Prahok ktis is served with fresh vegetables and rice. The main ingredients of prahok ktis include fermented fish (prahok), lemongrass powder (kroeung), coconut milk, palm sugar, and minced pork. Thanks to the accompanying foods, the originally spicy prahok dish becomes milder, allowing even picky diners to enjoy it. Prahok ktis is eaten with rice and boiled vegetables or sliced cucumbers.

Address: SaMaKy Restaurant & Lounge – 9E0 Street 51, corner 278 West of Wat Langka Temple, Phnom Penh.

16. Num pang

Num pang is a bread dish similar to Vietnamese bread. Bread is also considered one of the most popular and typical street foods of Cambodian cuisine. Bread is prepared creatively by the people here with a variety of ingredients and suits the tastes of many people. Bread fillings in Cambodia can be pate, minced meat, roasted meat, shredded carrots and cucumbers, spicy sauce...

Address: Kandal Market, Street 5, Phnom Penh.

17. Yaohon

Yaohon is a Cambodian hot pot dish containing a variety of vegetables, meat, and seafood. In particular, the broth of yaohon is made from a mixture of coconut milk, chicken broth, barbecue sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and palm sugar. Typical vegetables include watercress, spinach, and bok choy, while meat and seafood options often include beef, chicken, shrimp, squid, oysters, and mussels. There are also crushed peanuts, quail eggs, mushrooms, etc.

Address:

• Lao Bao Hot Pot – 251 Preah Trasak Paem St. (63), Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
• Himonoya – 302 Preah Trasak Paem St. (63), Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

If you are planning a trip to Cambodia in 2024, we hope you find this travel guide useful and informative. Cambodian food is an excellent opportunity to learn about Cambodian culture and history, and you will certainly enjoy your visit. If you want a reliable and experienced travel operator to help you arrange your trip to Cambodia, choose the best travel agency in Vietnam. Depending on your preferences and financial limits, we may adjust your timetable, and we can arrange everything from ticket purchases to hotel and transportation reservations. Visit our website or call us right now to learn more about our amazing deals and packages. You should not miss the chance to visit Cambodia with Threeland Travel!