Take freshwater fish, dice its flesh and steam it with coconut milk, eggs, prahok, and a local spice paste called kroeung and you'll get amok.
01. Amok
Fermented fish paste is not unique to Cambodia, but prahok tastes (and smells) like it’s in a league of its own.
02. Prahok
A one-pot soup dish that combines catfish, pork, prahok, and the spice paste called kroeung, samlor korkor is found all over the country, thanks to its use of seasonal, local ingredients and complex flavors.
03. Samlor Korkor
They are often called plain “Khmer noodles” in English, but nom banh chok has a much wider regional variation than the name implies.
04. Nom Banh Chok
Cambodia's local chilies are much less fiery than their counterparts in Thailand—thus kari sach moan (the local chicken curry) has a balance to its richness.
05. Kari Sach Moan
The seaside town of Kep makes the most of the abundance of crabs in its waters. In the dish called cha kdam, locals stir-fry slices of crab with green Kampot peppers.
06. Cha Kdam
Sure, tarantulas take most of the spotlight for insect-based foods in Cambodia—but indigenous red tree ants offer a more.
07. Ongkrong Saek Koo
The Khmer love unripe fruit in their salads, relishing their tangy sharpness that perfectly complements the umami of their roast meats and curries.
08. Chruok Svay
The name beef lok lak literally translates to “shaking beef,” so named because of how cooks shake the skillet as they stir-fry beef cubes in pepper sauce or oyster sauce.
09. Beef Lok Lak