This Asian destination has transformed and the food’s better than ever
Julia D’Orazio
Before returning to Cambodia’s famous ancient temple city of Siem Reap, it had been nearly 17 years since I had tasted Cambodian cuisine and become addicted to the national dish. insane: steamed coconut fish curry with added turmeric.
Other than this standout dish – and taking a crack at a barbecued stuffed frog on a skewer at a roadside stand (surprisingly delicious, by the way) – I couldn’t remember what else I ate. Now I’m about to take a refresher course.
A lot has changed since my previous visit. At that time, the roads were rough and Sihanoukville was a quiet seaside town. I was armed with a second hand gun Lonely Planet directory; The thick yellow brick in my backpack tested my abdominal strength every day. No heavy lifting this time. Food tour guide Heng Chheng Heang, who goes by the name “Fila,” leads the way.
Our journey starts in Siem Reap. The streets are quiet and clean, traffic is flowing and tourists are rarely seen. Walking along Pub Street, the town’s designated party zone that resembles Bangkok’s Khao San Road in the early evening, isn’t as lively as I remember. Neon signs have proliferated and trendy bars now spill onto the pavement; The upgrade reflects the tourism boom that occurred pre-COVID. But beer prices seem frozen in time; Some all-day happy hours start at $0.75 per beer.
We pass through the nearby Old Market, a historic maze of stalls selling souvenirs, designer goods, handicrafts and fresh produce, and then onto Pokambor Boulevard, the city’s famous street food strip. It’s a hive of activity: Vendor carts roll in, pans and barbecues burn brightly, skewers spin, and oversized umbrellas, plastic tables and chairs line the Siem Reap River.
“Without rice, we wouldn’t call it a proper meal,” Heang says as we gather around a moving cart, each settling into a cart. boredom The sandwich is like a cousin to Vietnam’s banh mi. French baguette is layered with fatty pork, pâté, pickled carrots, crispy cucumber slices and coriander sprigs.
We move to Spoons Cafe & Restaurant for “proper food”. Founded in 2016, the social enterprise provides accommodation and culinary training to underprivileged youth from across the country. The menu of the bamboo-roofed restaurant reflects the flavors of Cambodia’s 24 provinces with a contemporary approach. It’s a welcome first to tuck into bite-sized beef and pork “jungle sausages” and ladyfinger banana flower salad with wood ant dressing.
Community goodwill continues at Angkor Wat. Thanks to female-run tuk-tuk organization Driver Srey (meaning “woman”), heat exposure is minimal when exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The grassroots company trains women to become drivers, challenging local workplace norms. It was founded by local woman Khoy Prokrotey in 2017 to support divorced or widowed single mothers in their struggle to earn an income.
After each temple (Angkor Wat, Bayon, and jungle-covered Ta Proh), our purple-clad driver hands us an ice-cold face towel and bottled water from a cooler. What’s even more gratifying is knowing that this trip is helping women. Khoy is keen to expand from the current 24-man group.
“I don’t want to just do Siem Reap; I want to spread it [Driver Srey] Around Cambodia,” says Prokrotey.
Khoy is not alone in his efforts to create new opportunities for marginalized communities. Since 2010, Soksabike has been providing vocational training to young people by organizing bicycle tours in Battambang, Cambodia’s third largest city. We cycle through the roads and lush countryside, meeting with local producers to experience the “real Cambodia”.
Our training is balanced with feasting. The northwestern city was declared a “City of Gastronomy” by UNESCO in 2023 for its traditional recipes and fresh food production. Battambang is also known as the “rice bowl of Cambodia” and produces the region’s world-renowned rice. phka rumduol jasmine rice.
The first stop of our tour is Donteav village. Away from the city’s streets lined with French colonial architecture, we step behind an opulent family home to see how rice paper is produced. We capture the final steps of the two-person assembly line; The rice mixture is shaped into thin circles the size of dinner plates and slowly rolled over lattice sheets to dry.
Other stops include local demonstrations and tastings of dried fruits, seasoned crickets, and fruity rice wine produced locally at a backyard distillery. I am offered a sip of snake wine; Rice wine bottled with a coiled venomous cobra. I politely decline.
Another day, we went on a village food tour in Preah Dak, on the outskirts of Siem Reap, known for its homemade rice noodles, especially Khmer food. num banh chokA fragrant, fish-based noodle curry.
Tall green palm trees partially protect the village’s low huts from the highway; At first glance it seems that nothing has changed in the ancient village. But there’s another delicious reason why Preah Dak attracts locals everywhere, according to Fila.
“Pork barbecue is a new attraction since COVID times,” says Heang. “When Cambodians get together, we pay for a pig, which costs about US$150, marinate it with family ingredients and barbecue it.”
“A family in the village tried to make this for everyone and didn’t expect it to be this popular.”
Pig on a spit by the roadside has now become a fixture in the village. As I take my place at a restaurant’s long table, a few feet away from two charcoal-roasted buttered pigs, I feel like I’m knocking on the door of family festivities. Wedged between tables occupied by large gatherings of local tourists feasting on shaved pork and side dishes, we soon adopted this new tradition by doing the same. It’s one of many dishes that will stay with me long after I return to Australia.
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Intrepid Travel’s eight-day Cambodia Real Food Adventure starts at $1782. To see intrepidtravel.com
The author was a guest of Intrepid Travel.
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