After my food tour, I was feeling jazzed about getting out and discovering some of the great food that Phnom Penh had to offer. I decided to set out on my own and explore the culinary wonders of Cambodia's capital.
I've been to Cambodia so many times, but to be honest, I never really got out to explore the local food so much. I'm not sure why. I guess it always seemed a little impenetrable to me.
Anyway, that all changed this time! I decided that I was going to try as much local food as I could, and that started with a meal at a local restaurant just down the road from my guesthouse.
Anyway, that all changed this time! I decided that I was going to try as much local food as I could, and that started with a meal at a local restaurant just down the road from my guesthouse.
Lort Cha
It was a rainy evening after a long day of travel, and I stopped in at a busy lort cha restaurant near my hotel for a warm and hearty meal.
Lort cha is one of the most popular and iconic Cambodian street food dishes. Lort cha are a type of thick and chewy rice noodle (sometimes called "pin noodles" in English) which are stir-fried with a ton of aromatic ingredients and often topped with a fried egg. Lort cha can be found in shops, stalls, and restaurants all across the country.
I ordered a box to take home to my hotel.
I enjoyed my meal so much that I went back again the next day so that I could sit down for lunch and have the full experience.
Lort noodles, which are made from wheat flour and have a really nice chewy texture and are very filling, are stir-fried in vegetable oil with chives, bean sprouts, chilies, garlic, fish sauce, soy sauce, and palm sugar. My dish was then topped with something I had never had before: fried pate! I only knew pate as a spread (often enjoyed in Franco-Indochinese cuisine such as the ever-popular Vietnamese banh mi). Here, slices of pate had been fried and were added on top of my lort noodles as a protein. I really enjoyed it being served this way!
My dish also came with a fried egg, which is always a nice addition to any sort of rice or noodle dish in Southeast Asia.
I decided to add a little bit of optional chili sauce, and I'm glad I did. I always appreciate some extra spice, and it complemented all of the other flavors very nicely.
Baguette and Omelette
One place that I can always rely upon for good food is the Bright Lotus Guesthouse, a local hostel and guesthouse that has a small local restaurant on its ground floor.
I've stayed here several times, and the wonderfully-priced food never disappoints.
One morning, I went for an omelette and bread at the restaurant.
The Kingdom of Cambodia became a French protectorate in 1863, and finally gained independence from French Indochina in 1953. Although the French are long gone, their near century of rule left several visible marks on the culture of Cambodia, most visible in the country's architecture and cuisine.
Baguettes, specifically, have become a ubiquitous part of Cambodia's food culture. They are served in the form of sandwiches, similar to the Vietnamese banh mi. They are also eaten on their own with butter or jam as a breakfast staple.
David's Noodle
"Order the Noodles to See the Show", read a banner above David's Noodle, one of the most popular noodle restaurants in the Royal Palace neighborhood. In recent years, David's has gained a well-deserved reputation for serving up some of the absolute best noodles, all made by hand by the owner himself!
I ordered a bowl of noodle soup with chicken, and watched as the restaurant's owner began kneading dough and pulling the noodles by hand at his counter at the front of the restaurant. He would pull the dough as far as it could stretch, then sling it down with a thump on the table, before folding the dough in half and doing it again and again. Making noodles by hand is not easy, but the quality difference in using handmade noodles versus storebought ones is easily noticeable from the first bite.
I can see why David's is so popular! It's not just the sublime noodles, but the atmosphere. It's a friendly and welcoming place to eat. Plus, it's a lot of fun to watch the noodles being made before enjoying your meal.
Coffee at the Russian Market
One morning, I set out on foot to explore the Russian Market.
I decided to spontaneously stop in at a local coffee shop deep within the warrens of the market.
Khmer coffee is amazing - it's very similar to Vietnamese coffee! it is rich, sweet, and super delicious.
Num Pang
As I left the market, I wandered along the streets back towards my hotel. I passed a local "num pang" shop.
Num pang is the Cambodian version of the Vietnamese banh mi, or baguette sandwich. With similar French colonial influences, Cambodia's baguette sandwich is very similar to what you might find in Vietnam!
Num pang is the Cambodian version of the Vietnamese banh mi, or baguette sandwich. With similar French colonial influences, Cambodia's baguette sandwich is very similar to what you might find in Vietnam!
I stopped in at this local streetside stand, but the young woman working there couldn't understand me at all. She ran to get an older lady, who was selling food at a nearby stall, to help. The older woman could speak very good English and translated my sandwich order to the lady working at the cart.
When the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia, they absolutely brutalized the country. They tried to kill anyone who was educated, wore glasses, worked as a professional, or could speak French or English.
While Cambodia has recovered a lot in the past 3 decades, it still has a way to go, but I've always been impressed with the resilience and success of modern Cambodia.
I waited for my sandwich to be made. It didn't take long! I was handed a thin plastic bag to take back to my hotel to enjoy.
This num pang was stuffed full of pickled cucumber and carrot along with a generous portion of pork sausage. It was a really nice lunch.
I ordered another num pang the next day for delivery (it was raining, and I really didn't want to go out).
Pork with Fried Egg
Sometimes, the simplest dishes are the best. It was breakfast time, and I walked across the street to the Bright Lotus Guesthouse for a great morning meal.
I asked the staff at the restaurant for their recommendation for breakfast, and they suggested pork and rice. They told me that it is a Cambodian breakfast staple, and a go-to when you are in the mood for a simple and filling meal to start your day.
I like my food a little spicy, so I added some of the provided hot chili sauce on top. Not too much, just enough for a small extra kick. This dish is meant to be eaten all mixed up, so I broke the egg yolk and mixed the egg, pork, chili, and rice together. It's best to have a little bit of everything in each bite.
Fried Tarantula
Ok, so I did NOT eat this one!
I stepped inside a lovely restaurant near my hotel for lunch one afternoon.
The owner was there and was excited to show off the restaurant's newest specialty menu item: fried tarantula with chili.
Tarantula is actually a delicacy in parts of Cambodia!
I wasn't into that, however, and the restaurant owner clearly knew it. It was obvious that he was teasing me, and he quickly ushered me into the restaurant to show me his menu.
Grilled Fish Amok
Instead of fried tarantula, I ordered the grilled fish amok.
Fish amok is the national dish of Cambodia. Fish amok is a type of steamed curry with a thick, custard-like consistency. The dish originated from Khmer royal cuisine, and its origins date back to the Angkor Period of the ancient Khmer Empire.
Banteay Srey Restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia serves the traditional steamed amok, but they also have a very special dish on their menu. Putting a modern twist on an ancient classic, they also sell a one-of-a-kind grilled amok!
Amok is made with river fish marinaded in a yellow kroeung (Cambodian curry paste made with lots of herbs) and mixed with coconut milk. The curry is then wrapped in banana leaves to cook. At Banteay Srey, the curry packets are grilled over charcoal, which makes the curry thicker and richer than traditional steamed amok.
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