Joanna James
Foodies, gather here! If you're travelling to culturally rich Cambodia, here are some scrumptious dishes you need to get your hands – and your mouth on!
A favourite dish with seafood lovers, fish amok is a popular Cambodian dish that can be found at any restaurant in Siem Reap or other parts of the country. This dish is basically fish that's cooked in coconut milk and kroeung and whipped to form the consistency of mousse. Kroeung is a local curry paste made from turmeric root, garlic, lemongrass, finger root, Chinese ginger and shallots. Most high-end restaurants such as Chi Restaurant & Bar at Anantara Angkor Resort serve fish amok in a banana leaf.
Directly translated to pork and rice, this dish is generally eaten for breakfast and is quite a popular dish served at street corners around Cambodia. This simple, delicious dish is a local favourite and is a definite must try for any foodie visiting the country. The pork is thinly sliced and grilled over a low coal fire which is supposed to be ideal for bringing out the original sweet flavour of the meat. The pork is usually marinated in garlic or coconut milk to add to the flavour. Once the pork is grilled, it is served on a bed of broken rice along with daikon radish, pickled cucumbers and a considerable amount of ginger! Variations to this dish include it being served with chicken broth in a bowl that's topped with fried onions and scallions.
Khmer red curry contains a good serving of meat, whether its beef, fish or chicken in a coconut milk based curry accompanied with eggplant, potatoes, lemongrass, kroeung, and green beans. Khmer red curry is eaten with fresh bread.
Khmer noodles are one of the other popular dishes in Cambodia and are eaten for breakfast. The noodles are served with green curry made from lemon grass, kaffir lime and turmeric root and are usually fish based. Other ingredients that can be added to this dish are cucumbers, banana flowers, green beans or fresh mint leaves.
Kdam chaa simply means fried crab – and who doesn't love fried crabs, AMIRITE?! Succulent crabs prepared with green pepper are a local favourite. Restaurants in Phnom Penh are best known for serving the best Kdam chaa in Cambodia – don't miss out!
Locals eat plenty of insects – and once you start eating street food, it'll come as no surprise when you see them at food vendors while in Cambodia. This dish which comprises of a concoction of stir fried red ants, holy basil and beef have become quite popular with tourists in the recent years. This is served on a soft bed of white rice – however, if you happen to get served a portion of ant larvae, consider yourself lucky!
Another option for seafood hunters – this grilled squid dish is a popular delicacy on the seaside towns of Kep and Sihanoukville. The barbequed squid is usually doused in fish sauce or lime juice and served on wooden skewers, accompanied with garlic, chillies and sugar.
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