Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try as many Khmer dishes as I would have liked in Cambodia, as I had an upset stomach most of the time that I was there.
I did try the famous fish amok once at Coconut Lyly in Battambang, which is often said to be Cambodia’s national dish. The fish was baked in a yellow curry sauce with vegetables and served in banana leaf. The curry sauce was coconut-based and flavoured with turmeric and lime leaves. My friend thought it was too hot, but I found it light and gentle – perfectly complementing the soft and silky fish.
BBQ is another thing that Khmers are famous for. I tried it at the market in Phnom Penh. They are also known for eating absolutely anything that moves, so I chose something that looked familiar: quail and some chicken wings. As always with quail, there were more bones than meat, but the chicken wings were nice and juicy. The BBQ glaze was just as it should be – sweet, sticky and salty – with a great charred flavour from the hot coals.
In Battambang our tour guide Bun took us to a rural home to try bamboo sticky rice. He explained the process for making it. It was so long winded that I remember very little except that it must cook for 12 hours over embers. It was nice enough – slightly sweet with a faint hint of coconut – but I’m not convinced it is worth all that trouble.
I went to a restaurant in Phnom Penh called Khmer Surin, which was touted as a local, traditional restaurant, but it seemed to be more Thai than Khmer to me. There are lots of similarities between the two cuisines though. I loved the banana blossom salad, which was light, fresh and herbaceous with a kick of chilli. Soft, shredded chicken breast was mixed through – the right meat to use in that it was subtle and understated – and the banana blossom had a surprisingly crunchy texture.
I was really keen to try Jaan Bai in Battambang, so I risked a stomach ache and went for it. It is a social enterprise run by the Cambodian Children’s Trust, which offers training and employment for disadvantaged kids. The kitchen staff are trained by David Thompson, a chef who is known worldwide as an expert in Thai cooking. You can see his influence in the menu, where there are some core staples of Thai cuisine alongside more imaginative, modern dishes.
Eggplant and mushroom dumplings had a great umami flavour and the turmeric flavoured rice noodle wrappers were a nice touch. The dressing tasted similar to a sweet chilli jam, but with more heat than sweet. However, it was too milky to really stick to the dumplings, so it lacked punch.
Cucumber salad with crispy pork belly and ‘Jaan Bai’ dressing was an interesting twist on the classic green mango or green papaya salad. The pork wasn’t fantastic – a little dry, not much fat and not at all crispy – but the refreshing cucumber, crunchy carrots, salty peanuts, herbs and chilli more than made up for it. The Jaan Bai dressing was just like a nuoc mam really – sweet, salty and slightly spicy with the added zing of fresh lime.
One of the best meals I had was in Phnom Penh at a Chinese restaurant on the river front. It was early morning and I was ravenous after an all night bus trip. I was lured in by the promise of a proper British cuppa and ended up staying for a table full of dim sum. There was nothing fancy or different about it, but it was just what I needed after a long trip and on a delicate stomach.
The best dish I had overall in my trip to Cambodia came as a surprise. Nothing about the venue suggested that I was going to enjoy it. It was called Restaurant #30-31, it’s menu was exactly the same as restaurants 1-29 and 31-whatever and it was in a prime tourist location, Angkor Thom. I was purely ordering out of desperation and convenience. I was pleased to be proven wrong.
The tom yam soup had a perfect balance of sweet, sour and salty and just a hint of spice, despite the chillies floating in it. The chicken breast was tender, the carrots were al dente, the mushrooms just cooked. Tomato brought acidity and lime leaves freshness. I liked the Khmer tradition of serving it with rice on the side instead of rice noodles, to be dipped into it on a spoon. It was comforting, restorative and strangely refreshing despite the heat of the day.
I was sad not to have been able to try more of the local food while I was in Cambodia, but I always like to leave something to go back for. I have added it to the list:
- Elephants
- Islands
- Food
