The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Cambodian Foods. If you manage to be in an Cambodian restaurant or you are visiting Cambodia, I recommend the following:
1. Bai Sach Chrouk (Grilled Pork and Broken Rice)
Bai saik ch’roukes is a pork dish with rice and vegetables. Next to noodle soup, this pork dish is the most popular Cambodian breakfast dish. Pork is delicious when it is first marinated and then grilled over charcoal. The presentation of this meat is in slices and together with pickled vegetables (preserved in vinegar). If you decide to try it, get up early because after noon it is almost impossible to find it.
2. Lok Lak (Stir-Fried Beef in Brown Sauce)
The lok lak is a dish of meat pieces marinated and sautéed in a wok. You will have on your table, if you order the lok lak, the meat on a base of green salad and slices of cucumber and tomato. Along with this, you will have the infallible Cambodian rice, lime sauce and black pepper. In these liquids you can dip the meat and taste it in a great culinary experience.
3. Twa Ko (Cambodian Sausage)
It is a Cambodian sausage made from beef and various spices. Like any homemade sausage, authentic Khmer sausage contains at least 20-25% fat. Some people choose to use animal stomachs as the main ingredient; it certainly serves a purpose. Twa ko can be enjoyed as a simple roast, grilled or fried, or served with steamed rice and fresh vegetables.
4. Nom Banh Chok (Khmer Noodles)
A typical breakfast meal, the dish consists of laboriously pounded rice noodles, topped with a fish-based green curry sauce made from lemongrass, turmeric root and cafre lime. Fresh mint leaves, bean sprouts, green beans, banana flower, cucumbers and other vegetables are piled on top and give it an exquisite flavor. There is also a red curry version that is usually reserved for wedding ceremonies and festivities.
5. Fish Amok (Steamed Coconut Fish in Banana Leaves)
The tastiest typical dishes in Khmer include Amok, Cambodia’s most famous dish among travelers. It is a dish prepared with coconut milk, curry and a few spices that is only prepared in Thailand. Amok is made from chicken, fish or squid, as well as some vegetables. Sometimes it is served with coconut milk and rice on the side.
6. Kari Sach Moan (Chicken Red Curry)
Less spicy than the curries of neighboring Thailand, Cambodian red curry is made with large local red chilies that are remarkably mild, making it a rich but mild dish. This is served to accompany cooked chicken, a truly delicious and flavorful dish.
7. Char Kroeung Sach Ko (Stir-Fried Lemongrass Beef)
It is beef stir-fried with lemongrass, an ideal introduction to Cambodian delicacies. This famous stir-fried dish is found almost everywhere in the country. After putting the beef in hot oil with garlic, it is sautéed until the meat is tender. Then vegetables such as red peppers and onions are added, as well as the kroeung mixture.
8. Samlor Korkor
It is less known to tourists than ‘Amok’, but it has been consumed for hundreds of years and today can be found in restaurants, roadside stalls and homestays. This is a type of soup or broth consisting of green kroeung, prahok, roasted ground rice, catfish, pork or chicken, vegetables, fruits and herbs.
9. Plea Sach ko (Lime-Marinated Beef Salad)
Marinated beef salad with lime; more beef than salad, plea sach ko is a party dish served on festive occasions such as weddings or along with beer during a night out.
10. Num Ansom (Sticky Rice Cakes)
These sticky rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves are so emblematic of Cambodia that in 2015 the government made a giant num ansom weighing 8,900 pounds and displayed it in front of Angkor Wat to earn a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional Asian Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.