Joanna James
You might have heard Siem Reap as a place for temple chasers. Well, the place has something in store for the foodies too. Read on, to find out about the five dishes you shouldn't miss out on for the world when in Siem Reap.
The Amok fish is a signature of the Khmer cuisine and is one of the must-try dishes when in Siem Reap. So, what can you expect with the Amok fish dish? Well, an exquisite fish curry, of course. The fish is served with freshly grated coconut, making all tourists who have ever tasted it, to rave on about it. The fish is wrapped in banana leaves, taking the flavours up a whole new level. There is coconut cream too, served on top of it. The gravy is thick and full of flavour and is typically served with either catfish or white dish. Some of these dishes need to be tried at top restaurants in Siem Reap for a good experience. You can check out properties like Chi Restaurant & Bar, for instance, for good dining.
Siem Reap, being in the tropics, has different varieties of mangoes, all exquisite in its taste, of course. The one mango dish that all tourists and locals grab at every chance they get, is usually the green mango salad. So, what's so special about it? Well, this is made out of green mangos and is seasoned with fish sauce, lemon juice, garlic, pepper, fresh herbs and sugar to balance out flavours. It is moderately quite sour and has a perfect dressing added to it, making all the flavours stand out, which will make your mouth water.
We all know that some Asian dishes are quite worrisome, and you wonder how it made the cut to become a dish, let alone the most favourite one. When in Siem Reap, you'll notice street-side stalls selling fried insects. And to your astonishment, these stalls are quite crowded too. This is a favourite go-to snack, it's cheap and known to be packed with nutrients. There are a variety of insects and some places even sell crickets, spiders, wasps and silkworms.
Rice is the staple food of Siem Reap, and as such, tasting a relishing rice dish should be one of your top priorities when in these parts. The bamboo sticky rice is a must-grab-dish. The rice is prepared in bamboo sections, this means the dish gets prepared initially by collecting bamboo which gets processed in order to use it for the dish. After cooking it, coconut is added to enhance flavours.
This is another iconic dish of Cambodian cuisine. Whenever this dish is prepared, locals make it with processed fish, pepper, salt, sugar, garlic and some cold rice. The first step involves processing the fish, by keeping it under the sun for one day. The fish is then mixed with ingredients and kept stored in a jar for months at end. When the colour turns to grey and has a particular smell, the dish is deemed ready to be consumed.
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