Khmer Food

I've already been prepped about the yummy-licious food when I visit Cambodia. Expecting it to be close to Vietnamese cuisine, I could not be more wrong. It turned out very different & it could stand out amongst other world cuisines. It was Khmer food that formed the basis of modern Thai cuisine when the latter invaded the Khmer Empire some eons ago & stole their recipes. Their specialty? Amok fish. I tried it a couple of times in its various incarnations.. all delicious. My favourite eating place in Siem Reap is the Khmer Kitchen which is a little gem of a restaurant that is fast gaining popularity with visitors. Great place to sample traditional Khmer grub. My take on Khmer food is that it is really, really simple & basic. Nothing fancy but it excites the palate.

We started off with traditional dumplings with vegetable fillings with sweet chilli sauce as a side condiment. Also a basic spicy vegetable soup to get the appetite going.

Dinner was followed by the highlight: amok fish curry. Really nothing to look at it but the tender white fish pieces in a creamy curry was satisfying. Just a hint of spiciness. Actually reminds me of Thai green curry - who knows, maybe the Thais were influenced by this dish. We accompanied the amok with something a bit more unusual - pumpkin curry. Pieces of chicken & pumpkin cooked in a tangy red curry.

After an early morning start (5am) to see the temples, we came back to the hotel for a bit of breakfast. That's when we found ourselves addicted to the chicken porridge. Chock full of flavor, there were generous amounts of chicken bits, carrots, spring onions and a fried egg in there to complete the meal. Must have been boiling in a rich chicken stock to reach its state of gastronomical nirvana. The fried vermicelli noodles was tasty too... the noodles were of just the right crunch. It was however a tad on the salty side.

Never one to turn away from stall foods despite the questionable hygiene, I dug head on. Ordered the rice paper rolls with pork & assorted vegetables. For mains, it was local fried noodles. Vegetables must be cheap here because mine came with a third of the plate covered in green leaves! At least they are taking care of my diet!

What better way to wash it all down with the local brew, aptly called Angkor beer. The missus could not resist the bamboo shoot soup.

I could not leave Siem Reap without trying the amok fish again. This time it was more of the traditional style of preparation - fish in the signature curry paste, steamed in banana leaves. Their specials was just not fish, but they served it along with chicken & pork. And of course, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, to get the insides churning!


I don't get a lot of Cambodian restaurants here but I now have something to look forward too other than the usual suspects of Vietnamese & Thai food. Khmer food now completes the Indochina dining experience.