Cambodian Food: 3 Traditional Dishes You Should Eat

 1. Samlar kari (Chicken curry)

This traditional Cambodian chicken curry consists of pieces of chicken in a silky-smooth coconut sauce that is typically flavored with Cambodian kroeung paste, shrimp paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar. The dish can optionally be enriched with vegetables such as purple sweet potatoes, onions, bamboo shoots, carrots, eggplants, yard long beans, or spinach.

2. Pleah sach ko (Beef ceviche)

Pleah sach ko is typically made with thin, bite-sized pieces of raw beef that are first marinated in lime juice, and then covered with a clear broth of lime juice, chicken soup base mix, fish sauce, and sugar. A variety of chopped up vegetables and fresh herbs are usually added to the dish, Typical ingredients include green eggplants, shallots, garlic, radishes, bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, green onions, and freshly chopped herbs such as saw leaf, lemongrass, basil, mint, and cilantro.

Sour and spicy, the ceviche is usually topped with roasted ground rice and crushed peanuts, and it can be served either warm or chilled. In Cambodia, pleah sach ko is commonly prepared for weddings and similar festive occasions.

3. Lap Khmer (Beef salad)

This beef salad is prepared with well-done slices of beef marinated in lime juice with shallots, fish sauce, basil, mint, garlic, bell peppers, and spicy chilies. Due to its extremely bold flavors, it’s often eaten as a bar snack.