Cambodia: Khmer Eats
Moan Cha Kdov (Cambodian Chicken Dish)
Updated: Thank you Toe for the help on naming the dishes 
Let me start first that by saying that I’m no food critic nor a gourmet expert and my cooking skills rank below 5 out 10. But one thing I know is that I do appreciate good food and binge into what I really enjoy. And in any adventure, I always try to be as adventurous with the local dish as well. Cambodia is no exception of course, a taste of Khmer Cuisine is a welcome experience.
But apologies if I forgot the names of some of the dishes. Any help on identifying them would be welcome (help Toe! hehe). Like the dish above is a Khmer chicken dish we ate for lunch at a restaurant near Srah Srang worth USD$ 3. It has that semi mint lemon grass taste and the sauce is a bit on a sweet and sour side.
Chrouk (Khmer pork dish)
Now the dish above is a pork counterpart on the same restaurant, lots of bell peppers on this one. But the meat is kinda rubbery, same with the beef so I didn’t like it that much.
Amok Tofu
Amok is a popular food in Cambodia, it is usually coconut milk steamed with fish. For this one though I preferred Tofu, and the dish also has lots of kalabasa and potatoes. Ordered this at Khmer Kitchen, a lonely planet recommended restaurant at Psar Chaa. All in all it taste okay and is similar to our local gata dishes with some added spices.
Koukep (Frog Curry)
Now the one above is a first for me, yes Frog Curry. It actually taste a bit like chicken only more bony in little tiny bits. Curry here is a bit different. All in all it taste ok, not something to jump around though. What would I expect from eating on a nearby carinderia.
Chicken on Sugar Palm soup
The Khor Moan (Chicken on sugar palm) above is also on the same carinderia we ate at. Honestly it is very similar to our adobo, only this one is a lot sweeter.
Sachkor (Beef with oyster sauce)
Now the food above is from the restaurant in our hotel at Golden Temple Villa. This Beef with oyster sauce is part of a 3 dish meal combo they serve with rice on this leafy bowls. Presentation is actually very nice. When I try to move the leaf bowls it somehow breaks and the soup leaks out. Wondering how they prepared this. And the taste is very good as well.
Fried Chicken Breakfast
Now during temple exploration, it’s inevitable that you have to eat at nearby stalls come breakfast or lunch. And I must say that prices in these stalls are much expensive that those nice restaurants in Siem Reap. The above Fried Chicken is actually USD$ 3 bought at a stall near Bayon. But I was surprised on how it was presented. At first I thought they would present it like the usual fried chicken, but this one has cucumber and strips of carrots with skinless and boneless chicken served. It’s actually very good and healthy.
In general for me Khmer food is okay, mostly it’s subtle in taste with a touch of lemon grass consistent in all the dishes. Though I enjoy eating khmer dishes I still long for the strong flavors and spicy dishes though.
An additional travel tip here though, sometimes your Tuktuk driver will take you to some restaurants or eateries they know. Most of the time they have a commissions here or they driver get to eat fro free or at a reduced price at the restaurant when they bring in customers. If you have a particular restaurant in mind insist on going there instead. Also we learned from our driver that food prices here differ when your a local or a tourist (Arghh!), of course tourist gets the higher price.
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Sunday, May 27th, 2007 at 7:51 pm 
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May 28th, 2007 at 2:41 am
with all the gorgeous food, i’d like to fly to cambodia now!! i think it’s the same in most parts of asia… different prices for tourists and locals…it pays to know the language, imitate the accent and look the part. tall order no?
May 28th, 2007 at 6:38 am
ang galing ng presentation nung beef with oyster sauce ha. the curry looks delicious as well it’s just that… i dont like frogs.
May 28th, 2007 at 7:27 am
Wow! Good tasting dishes, I’m sure! Pero, mukhang maanghang! LOL.
I guess with the drivers getting commissions from restaurant owners, tourists will have to pay higher prices?
May 28th, 2007 at 8:33 am
mm… yummy looking. would love to try the chicken dish. the frog dish.. ayoko yun
May 28th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
hehe just like in most tour guides they have commisions as well.. thanks for the tip.. the food all looks great…
May 28th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
grabe na ito! kung saan saan ka nakakarating. nakakainggit naman.
as always, ang ganda ng pictures mo. i especially love the 1st one and the beef with oyster sauce.
May 28th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Kuya, the food’s making me hungry!
Never tried Cambodian cuisines before, but it sure does look good.
[:
May 28th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
The frog dish wasn’t something to “jump around” about? hehe. mahilig ka sa mga puns, ano?
I’d like to try the frog curry just to see what it tastes like. 
Also, the amok tofu, too.
May 28th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
kakain ko lang.. gutom nanaman ako .. nyahahaha
May 28th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
yum! sarap sarap naman. kakagutom!
May 28th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
I admire and love to see foods that are serve in vegetarian…I can’t help but salivate myself staring at those vegies cuisine except the frog thingggg…
May 28th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Eventually, Cambodians love exotic and spicy foods…I had classmates from Cambodia and they won’t serve their foods without chilli…….as a person who’s not used to it…I just tasted a bit to satisfy my satiety.
May 28th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
It looks like a culinary tour!
Too bad you don’t cook. I was just going to ask you to cook the same for your blog visitors!
May 29th, 2007 at 12:48 am
Luv the spicy look - so scrumptious ! I’d love to taste that chicken in palm soup which looks so intriguing
May 29th, 2007 at 9:41 am
una muna, i really like the way you took these shots…the angles you chose very well complemented the dishes. sa totoo lang akala ko dati madali ang ganitong mga shots, hirap din pala. wala masyadong room for exploration.
i’ve been actually waiting for this post. i knew you’re going to post something like this, i just don’t know how you will present it. i will definitely mark it in my list, the Khmer Kitchen and that Amok…i like it. paghahanda sa pagpunta ko, hehe. hindi ako masyadong keen sa pag-explore ng food, kase puro chicken lang ang madalas kong kainin, so kapag super weird ang itsura at ingredients, keber kong titikman. so yung frog curry na yan…kahit pa lasang chicken yan, di ko yan? no thank you.
May 29th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
id definitely try that frog curry. san kayo kumain? gusto ko kasi i compare ang lasa ng Phil at cambodian frogs kung may kaibahan ba:-0… pupuntahan namin yan ni Rayts
May 29th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
I like the idea of serving food in a banana leaf cup.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Ferdz, I showed our interpreter your blog and asked for the names of the foods. This is the best we both could do:
Cambodian chicken dish - moan cha kdov
Khmer Pork dish - chrouk (but basically, chrouk just means pork
Amok tofu - this is actually their famous amok fish
Frog curry - koukep
Chicken with sugar palm soup - Khor Moan
Beef with oyster sauce - sachkor (with oyster sauce… hehe)!
Hey, now your photos make me want to eat Cambodian. You are right… Thai food is much spicier and the tastes are much stronger than Khmer food.
Everything in Cambodia is more expensive for foreigners… that includes all our utility bills… electricity, garbage disposal, water, etc.
Sayang talaga. I really wish I met you in Phnom Penh. Oh well… maybe we could see each other in one of your adventures.
May 29th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
yummy. It looks delicious. Ayan, ginutom tuloy ako! Parang gusto ko ring subukan yung frog curry.
May 30th, 2007 at 12:29 am
Yum yum yum… (except for the frog curry! I don’t eat amphibians! hehehe)
Grabe, nagutom ako. hehhee… All the chicken dishes are scrumptious (and I know your photography skills added to their appeal) and I’d love to try the tofu one. Did you pretend nga pala to be a local to get the local prices? hehehe
May 30th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
i’m starving here! even the frog dish is tempting.
May 30th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
They all look sumptious, Ferdz! Now, I’m hungry again.
May 30th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
the chicken dish and fried chicken breakfast did it for me
May 31st, 2007 at 7:33 pm
awwws! mouthwatering shots.
ginutom mo ako. sige at akoy kakain muli ng kaning lamig heheh…
June 1st, 2007 at 4:02 am
hmmmm, parang alam ko na smell ng mga yan ah hehe… yummy yung beef with oyster sauce tapos sa dahon pa ng saging, ok sa olrayt!
kain na nga muna ako, ahihi.
June 1st, 2007 at 9:48 pm
love all the meals posted here!mouth watery naman ,tnx for sharing fredz
buti kapa byahe ng byahe …
June 3rd, 2007 at 9:32 am
ganda nga ng food presentation, parang hindi sa carenderia. the tofu in coconut milk looks intersting, sarap i-try nito sa kitchen ah. dapat pag Asians, same price lang at hindi considered as tourist as compared to Caucasians hehe!
June 12th, 2007 at 6:28 am
[...] But one thing I know is that I do appreciate good food and binge into what I really enjoy. And in any adventure, I always try to be as adventurous with the local dish as well. Cambodia is no exception of course, a taste of Khmer Cuisine … …Read More [...]
January 11th, 2008 at 1:50 am
that looks amazing
March 4th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
[...] [...]