Cambodian street food is not as famous as its counterpart Thailand. The cuisine, in general, is overshadowed by its popular neighbors Thailand and Vietnam. However, once you go deep into Cambodian cuisine, you will discover unique and amazing flavors.
Cambodian street food offers unique and surprising delicacies that are foreign to the eyes and stomachs of most visitors. It is not for the squeamish travelers.
That said, Cambodian street food from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap will offer you an amazing experience, a real culinary adventure. As you dive deeper into the street food culture, you will find rare treats and wonderful delicacies.
Take a pick at our top 10 list of Cambodian street food and get ready for some surprising finds!
1- Lort Cha – Cambodian Short Stir-Fried Egg Noodles
Lort cha is one of the most popular Cambodian street food. It is a stir-fried dish consisting of Lort which are short fat rice noodles, with bean sprouts, Chinese broccoli, and chives. It is typically cooked with beef and topped with a fried egg.
The dish is served with a thick red sauce which is sweet and spicy. And if you want more spice, you can add red chilies to your meal.
Simple and delicious Lort cha mealWhere to Have It
You can find Lort cha vendors on the streets or at the markets in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. Lort cha is typically prepared on food cart with a large stir-fried pan.
We had this dish several times in Cambodia and enjoyed it best at the local markets. It is easy to spot the vendor as you see them cooking in real-time. Look for vendors where locals are eating or stopping by for takeaway. This is a sign of good and safe food!
It is a very tasty dish, with a nice amount of vegetables and a great mix of protein. A definitely must try in Cambodia!
Lort Cha street vendor at Kandal Market in Phnom Pehn2- Num Pang: Typical Cambodian Sandwich
You will quickly recognize this familiar Vietnamese ingredient in Cambodia: the baguette. Brought by the French during the Indochina colonization period, Cambodia calls it Num pang.
This sandwich is typically served with meaty ingredients such as pate, ham or pork served with cucumber, carrots, chives and onions.
Num Pang, typical Cambodian SandwichWhere to Have It
You will find Num pang street vendors with their carts outside of markets or near office buildings. The are easily identifiable with the baguettes exposed on the carts.
If you want to try a modern twist on this classic sandwich, Nompang, a newly opened chain in Phnom Penh offers an interesting variety of the sandwiches. We recommend the Classic which consists of red pork and ham. Made with quality ingredients, it is excellent and quite filling!
Classic from Nompang sandwich shop
Nompang in Phnom Pehn
They have several locations in Phnom Penh. The one we went to is listed below.
Address: No.17, St 310, Phnom Penh
Hours: Everyday from 7 am to 8 pm
Prices: $1.95 per sandwich.
The interior of Nom Pang sandwich shop in Phnom Penh
Siem Reap
In Siem Reap, we recommend the local market called Pho Langka Market. You will find one dedicated vendor of the Khmer sandwiches. We had the classic pâté sandwich, which we immediately enjoyed. Tasty with a slightly sweet and sour hint of flavors.
Look for the cart that says Khmer Sandwiches No MSG. (see photo below)
Address: Along Siem Reap River in the north part of town.
Hours: Mid-day lunch time
Prices: 3,000 Riel per sandwich (approx $0.75 USD)
Num Pang, street vendor in Siem Reap3- Cambodian Bamboo Sticky Rice
Bamboo sticky rice, known as Kralan in Khmer, is a type of sticky rice roasted in bamboo sticks.
It is made of sticky rice mixed with black beans grated coconut and coconut milk. The mixture is packed into a bamboo stick and slowly roasted over a charcoal fire until cooked.
Cambodian Bamboo Sticky Rice with black beans
We first discovered bamboo sticky rice in Thailand and really enjoyed it. In Cambodia, we learned that the rice used in bamboo sticky rice is a special kind of fragrant rice coming from terraced rice fields of Battambang, Kratie Provinces.
The taste is sweet and slightly salty with hints of smokey flavors. Quite delicious and a filling snack anytime of the day.
Bamboo Sticky Rice vendorWhere to Have It
The city of Battambang in the Northwest region of the country is popular for bamboo sticky rice. It is Cambodia’s second largest city and a leading rice producing province in the country. While we didn’t get personally visit the city, the sticky rice from here comes highly recommended as the area is referred to as ‘sticky rice villages’ by locals.
In Siem Reap, around the Angkor Wat World Heritage Site, you will find ladies on bicycles selling bamboo sticky rice. Feel free to approach any one of them and enjoy the sweet roasted dessert. The sticky rice is sold in three sizes, small, medium and large and the costs range from 2000 Riel to 4000 Riel (approx $0.49 USD to $0.98 USD).
Bamboo sticky rice vendor in Siem Reap4- Snails: Surprising Cambodian Street Food
One of the very first things we noticed when we arrived in Phnom Penh were street vendors with long flat carts on wheels. Their carts are strategically placed under the hot burning sun loaded with freshwater snails. The snails have been seasoned and cooked previously before being dried under the sun.
Try a can of fresh water snails from street side vendor
The snails are spiced either with red chili sauce or with garlic and salt. Sold by the bucket or the cup, it makes for an interesting treat to snack on!
To eat safely this street food you want to make sure the snail are thoroughly cooked. Try a sample and decide if you ready to indulge for more!
Where to Have It
You will see plenty of carts loaded up with snails on the streets of Phnom Penh. This delicacy appeared to be much more popular in Phnom Penh than in Siem Reap.Prices are typically about 2,000 Riel (approx $0.49 USD) per cup of snails.
Another way to eat snails is to have it as Amok Chouk. It is a Amok prepared with snails and made with the traditional curry. We didn’t try Amok Chouk, however if find a good restaurant that serves it please let us know in the comments below!
5- Chive Cakes: Delicious Chinese Influenced Snacks
One sight you will see often on the streets of Cambodia are mobile street vendors selling small chive cakes. These chive cakes are fried in shallow pans, and made with glutinous rice flour and served with a sweet spicy fish sauce.
Chives cakes at local market in Siem Reap
Chive cakes, also known as Num Kachay, are a popular Cambodian street food originating from China. While the ingredients are simple, the taste is surprisingly delicious.They are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. When dipped into the sweet spicy fish sauce, the flavors blend together perfectly in the mouth. This was one of our favorite Cambodian street food.
Close up of chive cakes with sweet, spicy fish sauceWhere to Have It
You will find mobile street vendors with Chives pretty much everywhere. Look for the vendors at busy street corners in the afternoons. You may also find Chive cakes cooking at the local markets.
They are sold hot, which reduces the risk of getting sick. And you can buy them by the piece, at about 500 Riel (approx $0.12 USD) per Chive Cake.
6- Deep Fried Bread and Shrimp Cakes – Popular Cambodian Appetizer
At the local markets in Siem Reap, we were struck by the abundance of fried bread and shrimp cakes. You see vendors at various stalls bending over the hot flames to produce golden, crispy French bread topped with delicious fried shrimp.
Fried bread and shrimp cake at Central Market in Phnom Penh
After being tempted by one particular vendor’s freshly cooked batch, we gave in and bought some to eat for lunch. While we typically do not enjoy fried foods, we surprisingly delighted.
The cakes are delicious. And with the bread soaking in the fat, you are left with the taste of perfectly spiced shrimp. After that first tasty experience, we happily bought the shrimp cakes several times again.
Where to Have It
Look for the friendly ladies with large deep fryers at the outdoor food stalls at the Pho Langka Market in Siem Reap. Get a freshly cooked batch and expect to pay between 500 Riel (aprox $0.12 USD) and 1000 Riel (aprox $0.25 USD) per cake.
Fried shrimp cake at the Pho Langka Market in Siem Reap7- Grilled Worms and Crickets
Worms and crickets are probably two of the most popular bugs you will find in Cambodia, in addition to red ants tree. Yes, you will also find edible spiders and scorpions though we found these multi-legged arachnids to be more popular amongst tourist than with locals.
And to be honest, worms and crickets are far more enticing, in our opinion, to taste than spiders and scorpions.
Worms and crickets at Boeung Keng Kang Market in Phnom Penh
We found the worms to be soft with a slightly crunchy skin and a nice nutty flavor. While the crickets were definitely more crunchy and meatier. Either way, they are a great source of protein and unique and tasty!
Where to Have It
You will find street vendors selling all different types of insects at the markets. They are typically grilled and sold in large baskets that might contain different types of bugs. Sold by the can or cup, plan to spend about 4,000 Riel (approx $0.98 USD) per can.
8- Street BBQ: Squid Skewers
As we wrote about in our previous article about the 10 Surprising Facts You Need to Know About Food in Cambodia, anything and everything is grilled in Cambodia.
Street food BBQ is quite common and popular. At dusk, vendors pop up around markets and on busy streets, grilling various dishes for dinner time.
Typical grilling atmosphere on the streets of Cambodia
For seafood BBQ, go for the grilled squid. Served with chili sauce, they are as delightful as they are impressive in size!
Grilling up delicious giant squidsWhere to Have It
Walk around any of the local markets past 6:00 pm or after the markets close. You will see many street food carts selling all sorts of BBQ meat and seafood including squids. During the day, your best bet for grilled squid is in the markets.
9- Sweet Pork Sausages – Popular Cambodian Street Food
Pork is quite popular in making sweet Khmer sausages known as kwah ko (ត្វារគោ). On street carts around local markets, you will find vendors with different kinds of pork sausages hanging off their carts.
Pieces of sweet sausages served with cucumber
The sausages are sold either as skewers or as small sausage balls. After seeing how popular the sausages were with locals, we bought one sausage to try. The red color and the taste surprised us. The sausages are very sweet and quite fatty. We learned that the sausages are made with palm sugar and composed of half pork and half fat.
We weren’t fan of the sweet taste of these sausages, however, locals seemed to enjoy them with a cold glass of beer.
Where to Have It
Look for the market vendors at the local markets. Expect to pay about 500 Riel (approx $0.12 USD) per sausage.
Tempting sweet pork sausages at Psar Chas, the Old Market in Siem Reap10 – Iced Coffee – A Popular Cambodian Street Food
Small coffee carts are a common sight in the Kingdom of Cambodia. The carts are typically sidecars on motorbikes or are pulled by motorcycles or converted tuk-tuks.
Iced coffee, or Gah-fay dteuk-gork in Khmer – is a sweet and refreshing popular drink with locals.
Getting coffee to go in the afternoon in Phnom Penh
It is Cambodia’s drip coffee served with condensed milk. Sweet and strong, the coffee can be served black with ice, or with condensed milk for an even sweeter taste. Rosemary, the coffee drinker preferred it with condensed milk. The rapidly melting ice dilutes the strength of the coffee and the sugar making it much more tolerable.
Where to Have It
During the peak morning hours and after school/work in the afternoons, the coffee carts are visible everywhere. Choose from any street cart and try Cambodian Iced Coffee. This experience will set you back between 2500 – 3000 Riel ($0.62 to $0.74 USD).
Mobile coffee vendorIn Summary
Cambodian street food is quite diverse and is a gives you a unique perspective into the country’s food culture and delicacies.
We found the street food in Cambodia to be much more unusual as compared to the other Southeast Asian countries we had visited (Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines) at that point.
With Lort Cha, grilled squid and Num Pang you will find familiar tastes that will delight you. While worms, freshwater snails and bamboo sticky rice will be a way to test your adventurous palate.
With Cambodian street food, you are in for a special treat!
Have you ever had Cambodian Street food? Which dish would you be tempted to try?
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