Cambodian food — fish (Tonle Sap), rice, prahok, palm sugar. Khmer cuisine — gentler than Thai, less spicy, more sour. Amok national dish.
Amok
Amok — national dish. Fish curry steamed in banana leaf with coconut milk + lemongrass + galangal + turmeric + kaffir lime + chili paste. Mild, creamy, aromatic.
Lok Lak
Lok lak — stir-fried beef with onions + tomatoes + lime-pepper sauce. Served over lettuce + rice + fried egg. Influences from France.
Khmer Curry
Cambodian curries — kroeung paste base. Sour (samlor kako with green papaya), red (saraman). Less coconut than Thai, more turmeric.
Prahok
Prahok — fermented fish paste, Khmer identity (smelly to foreigners). In sauces, dips, marinades. Cambodian umami base. Centuries-old preservation.
Noodles
Kuy teav (rice noodle soup, breakfast staple), num banh chok (Khmer noodles with fish curry), bai sach chrouk (grilled pork over rice).
Tonle Sap Fish
Tonle Sap lake — largest freshwater fish source SE Asia. Fish dominant protein. Trey aing (grilled fish), trey chean (fried fish).
Sweets & Drinks
Nom korm (palm sugar cake), nom plae ai (rice cake with palm sugar filling), bai damnoeb (sticky rice with mango). Tuk olok (palm wine), Angkor beer, Cambodian coffee.