July 10
Food in Cambodia
Food in Cambodia is simple, using local fresh ingredients. Maybe unfortunately, in the heavy tourist areas like Siem Reap the restaurants all seem to be focused on western palates so it seems like most of them server burgers, pizza, and pasta. Most do have a small selection of Cambodian dishes like Lok Lak and Amok.
Remembering that the land area that we think of as Cambodia today has been occupied over the years by neighboring (and not-so-neighboring) countries like Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan, and France, it is no surprise that food reflects a variety of external influences as well. The recent ubiquity of US culture lends that into the mix as well.
Beef Lok Lak at a restaurant in Siem Reap. The meal including Mango Juice was $4
Meals can be obtained in a variety of different styles of establishments from food carts to high-end restaurants. While in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, the hotels provided breakfast. Those were unfailingly delicious. In Battambang, my residence did not provide breakfast so I went to local restaurants for breakfast.
Like most of Asia, there’s not a clear distinction of what foods are breakfast, lunch, or dinner foods. While there are some foods that are more typically eaten at certain times of the day, it really doesn’t matter when a certain type of dish or food is eaten. Menus at restaurants are not separated by mealtimes like in the US; a menu is a menu and any of the dishes are available at any time, so long as they haven’t run out of the ingredients.
Cambodian Curry and Spring Rolls (and a Gin and Tonic) in Siem Reap, about $5
Whether in a hotel, restaurant, or at a food cart, the food was invariably good and the ingredients obviously fresh. As a plus, at least by US standards, meals were very inexpensive, usually ranging from $1-$5 for a full meal including bevarages. I did have the occasion to go to a high-end restaurant in Phnom Penh, and my meal was around $15, but once again, it would have been way more expensive in the US and represents appetizer, main course, and drinks. Tips are not normally given so the price of eating out is made easier by that.
Breakfast noodles at a street food stall in Battambang, $0.75
Cambodian Food Gallery
Fresh fruits are abundant throughout Cambodia
Amok, a very mild, dry curry traditionally with fish, with spring rolls and a gin martini. The martini doubled the price of the meal to $7
Peanuts are served as a complimentary bar snack with drinks. Cambodian peanuts are fried with Garlic, Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime Leaves, and other herbs, and are delicious
Breakfast noodles at my hotel in Siem Reap
Breakfast Fried Rice at my hotel in Siem Reap
Breakfast Congee at my hotel in Siem Reap. Cambodian Congee is more like Chicken-Rice soup than porridge, but really good
Spring Rolls, Tofu stir fry, and egg.
Breakfast noodle soup in Battambang. Chicken, meatballs, lamb, and beef, $1.25
Lok Lak, with pork, Battambang.
Snacks from a street vendor at the Bat Caves, Battambang. The snails were really good!
A modified full English breakfast at my hotel in Phnom Penh
The cashews in Cambodia, with garlic, lemongrass, and Kaffir Lime Leaves are addictive.
A meal at a high-end restaurant in Phnom Penh. The food was delicious
The restaurant where I had my last dinner in Phnom Penh was very serene
Breakfast noodle soup at my hotel in Phnom Penh
Vietnamese Bun Thit Nuong in Phnom Penh, $3
Kuy Teav Cha, a traditional Cambodian breakfast noodle dish with coconut sauce
Khmer sausage and Cambodia Beer from a street vendor on the Phnom Penh waterfront.