Traveling to Siem Reap? Don't miss out on these 9 must-try dishes!

Siem Reap is not only famous for its remarkable historical sites but also attracts tourists with its diverse and flavorful dishes. Discover 9 standout dishes in Siem Reap that will surely tempt your taste buds!

1. Amok (Amok Trey) – Steamed Fish

Amok is a traditional steamed fish dish that’s a staple of Cambodian cuisine. While traveling in Siem Reap, you cannot miss trying Amok fish. The main ingredient is fish, typically freshwater fish. The fish is deboned, chopped, and mixed with coconut milk, eggs, fish sauce, palm sugar, chili, and more. To enhance the flavor, the key ingredient – Kroeung, a special Cambodian spice mix made from turmeric, lime, shallots, and other aromatic spices – is essential.

The ingredients for Amok are wrapped in banana leaves and steamed until cooked. Before serving, it’s topped with shredded kaffir lime leaves, red chili, and a drizzle of fresh coconut milk, making the dish visually appealing and irresistibly inviting. Nowadays, Cambodians sometimes innovate by replacing fish with other ingredients such as chicken, beef, pork, or tofu to offer a unique twist on this traditional dish.

2. Nom Banh Chok – Fish Curry Noodles

Nom Banh Chok, a traditional Cambodian breakfast dish, is widely enjoyed across the country, and it’s also very popular in Siem Reap, often sold by street vendors. The dish consists of noodles served with a green curry made from fish, mint leaves, lemongrass, and topped with banana flowers, cucumbers, and various greens.

3. Thnot Palm Cake (Banh Bo Thot Not)

If you're a fan of sweet treats, you must try the irresistible Thnot Palm Cake while traveling in Siem Reap. This cake is different from the usual palm cake thanks to the ripe Thnot palm fruit and Thnot palm sugar. These ingredients give the cake a beautiful golden color, a mild sweetness, and an alluring fragrance. You’ll easily find vendors selling these cakes on the streets of Siem Reap.

4. Lap Khmer – Khmer Beef Salad with Lime

Lap Khmer is a beef salad made from thinly sliced beef that is briefly dipped in hot water or lightly cooked with lime juice, combined with fresh salad ingredients. The dish contains more salad than beef, with the salad dressing featuring fish sauce, lemongrass, lime juice, cilantro, mint, and chili. Additional vegetables such as green beans, onions, and tomatoes are often added to complete this flavorful Khmer beef salad.

5. Insect-based Dishes

Insects are a well-known delicacy in Cambodia, especially in Siem Reap. At first glance, you may feel apprehensive, but if you muster the courage to try them, you'll likely find them quite intriguing. Insect-based dishes are highly nutritious. From crickets, ant eggs, to water bugs and spiders, these creatures are prepared by frying, stir-frying, stuffing with peanuts, steaming with rice, or soaking in vinegar, all offering delightful flavors. Among them, water bugs are particularly popular, adding a unique spicy fragrance to the dishes.

Compared to insect dishes from Thailand and Laos, Cambodian insect-based dishes are relatively less diverse. The main ingredients remain crickets and spiders, and the dishes are typically simpler, with fewer spices involved.

6. Prahok

Prahok is a fermented fish paste made from small fish like snakehead or anchovy, which are rich in meat and become incredibly sweet after being fermented for an extended period. The fish are cleaned thoroughly to remove any unpleasant odor, heads are removed, and then they're seasoned with garlic, sugar, and pepper. After being sun-dried, the fish is washed again, then packed in jars with rice and salt. Bamboo sticks are used to secure the jars, which are left to ferment for 4 to 6 months. The finished product has a dark red color, thick paste, and an aromatic fragrance.

7. Samlor Kako

Samlor Kako is considered one of Cambodia's signature dishes. When visiting Siem Reap, make sure to try this dish. Samlor Kako consists of Kroeung paste, Prahok, roasted rice, catfish, pork or chicken, along with various vegetables, fruits, and herbs. In Khmer, 'Samlor' means soup, and 'Kako' means stir or mix, so it's a mixed soup cooked with an array of vegetables based on your preferences. Typically, this dish is made with pumpkin, papaya, green bananas, eggplant, and long beans. Fish meat is mixed with Prahok, and all the vegetables are added to the pot with boiling water to simmer over medium heat.

8. Papaya Salad

Perhaps many young people in Vietnam are already familiar with the papaya salad dish. However, when you try it in Siem Reap, you're likely to be left with an unforgettable impression. This salad is made from a variety of ingredients such as dried shrimp, tomatoes, long beans, cucumbers, garlic, chili, and cilantro. It is served with a unique dressing and dipping sauce that balances salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. This dish shares similarities with Thailand's papaya salad.

9. Prahok Ktis

Prahok Ktis is served with fresh vegetables and rice. The main ingredients of Prahok Ktis include fermented fish paste (Prahok), lemongrass powder (Kroeung), coconut milk, palm sugar, and finely minced pork. Thanks to the added ingredients, the originally spicy Prahok becomes milder, making it more accessible even for more discerning diners. Prahok Ktis is typically enjoyed with rice and boiled vegetables or sliced cucumbers.

According to Mytour.vn

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Reference: Mytour.vn Travel Guide