Cambodia's street food isn't as well-known as its neighbors, Vietnam and Thailand. Is it so difficult to find a restaurant serving authentic Cambodian dishes? In Europe at least, it is. But you'll find a Thai or Vietnamese restaurant without any trouble.
We're unsure why. Because Cambodian Street food is as culinary desirable as any other Asian cuisine. Cambodia is a country which has a plentiful, varied fish stock, in thanks to the Mekong River. You soon learn fish has a commonplace in Cambodian cuisine, as does rice. Yet the flavors are unfamiliar to you, because many of the dishes may have Khmer origins.
Below are a few of the dishes we recommend you try for Cambodia's authentic street food.
Like Vietnam's world-famous baguette. Cambodia has its own too, introduced during French colonization. The filling is pork based. You should expect pork slices or diced ham, with raw cucumber, carrots, chives, and onions. One nice thing about this snack is there will be something different from one vendor to another.
One vendor will make their sandwich sweet and sour whilst another hot and spicy. Shop around to suit your mood and taste buds.
This is sticky rice roasted inside a bamboo pot. We saw this too in Vietnam, in one of the remote villages. The authentic smoky flavors play on your palate. But only when the bamboo roasts over hot charcoals. If you see the bamboo pot steaming or boiling, the resulting flavors aren't the same.
Along with the rice, this dish is complete with black beans and grated coconut and coconut milk. You enjoy a sweet flavor as you'd imagine with the coconut but also deep and smoky too. That's due to the aroma of the charcoal seeping through the natural wood.
Pro Tip: Be wary, because some restaurants use artificial charcoal flavoring, added to the steaming of the rice.
A popular snack throughout Cambodia is this fried cake made from rice flour and chives.
Once a famous Chinese street food dish, the cake found its way into Cambodian cuisine. You eat the rice cake by dipping in a sweet, spicy fish sauce, that accompanies the cakes. Crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside, we recommend you finish them off before they get cold.
One of our favorites, on a trip to Cambodia, is fresh squid once grilled. Vendors pop up on the street corners early evening and the aroma of the barbecue is alluring to most. If seafood doesn't appeal to you, don't panic. The vendors grill other dishes based on meat and vegetables. Take your pick and be sure a sauce accompanies your dish.
This is Cambodia's noodle soup and is the more prominent street food. You get a rich broth with thick rice noodles. Choose from various sliced meats with or without shrimps or another seafood. The vendor sprinkles on chopped herbs adding to the flavor of the dish before serving.
Best enjoyed as part of breakfast, like Vietnam's Pho noodle soup. Vietnam's national dish is enjoyed first thing in the morning by countless Vietnamese. There are variations of this dish, such as (but not limited to) Lort Cha and Kuy Teav.
We love pancakes and we know you love them too. Guess what? Cambodia has pancakes in their street food repertoire as well. We've found it impossible to resist, because they're very tasty. And much like Vietnam's Banh Xeo. The Cambodian variation is richer and creamier in flavor, using a lot more coconut milk. You have a choice of prawn or shrimp for the filling.
Or forgo the seafood altogether in favor of chicken or bean sprouts with onions. That's one thing you will come to love about southeast Asian street food. There's always a vegetable substitute in many dishes.
The dishes are often served with rice, and fried eggs but not always. You should expect to taste pickled vegetables too. Cambodian food is always made with fresh ingredients, no doubt adding to the taste. In fact, that's the case with all southeast Asian food, the emphasis is on fresh, local and quality.
Dishes also use herbs, including ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and chili. Whether you want chili or not is up to you. You can find the chili on the side as a sauce, so use to taste.
Are you a student backpacking on a gap year? You'll be holidaying on a budget; you can appreciate that Cambodian street food cheap. Compared to other southeast Asian countries at least. Yet without compromise on quality.
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