With the famous cuisines of Vietnam and Thailand nearby, few people know what to expect from Cambodian food. Well after my stay in the Khmer Kingdom, I can only praise the food.
There are curries and stir fries, as you might expect from Southeast Asia, but not as spicy as what you would find across the Thai border.
To my delight, most Cambodian dishes are gluten free, dairy free and very fresh, with lots of veggies, meat, and rice. There are also lots of seafood and flavors of lemongrass, garlic, and coconut.
Here are my Favorite Dishes:
Fish Amok
Fish Amok is a light curry dish of fresh coconut milk and kroeung, a type of curry paste made from lemongrass, turmeric, garlic, shallots, galangal and ginger. Sometimes you’ll find it served steamed in a banana leaf or inside a hollowed out coconut. Delicious!
Beef Loc Lak
Beef Loc Lak is a dish of thin-sliced beef in a soy and oyster sauce, sometimes with tomato as well. It is often served with a fried egg on top, and some restaurants will serve it with a side salad and rice.
Green Mango Salad
Shredded green mango is combined with shallots, basil, mint, and vegetables such as peppers, carrots and tomatoes. The salad is then covered with a citrusy dressing made with lime, garlic, sugar and chilli. It’s quite similar to Thai green papaya salad, but not as spicy.
Stir-Fried Morning Glory
Stir-fried morning glory, is one of the most popular vegetable dishes and is found in several South-East Asian countries. The stalks are fried with oil and garlic and sometimes have oyster sauce or dried chili added in.
