Steve Leland
Nov 6 · 4 min read
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Five Must Try-Not To Be Missed Cambodian Street Foods

I profess to being a moderate foodie, backed up by my appreciation and the discovery of new tastes. In spite of an inclination to be rather picky, I openly admit that I prefer street food fare over Michelin rated cuisine.

Give me back alley street food marinated with a hint of scooter exhaust and served in a plastic table and chair, sidewalk ambiance and I’m front and center. However, you can call me fussy but I draw the line on ingesting cranial cavity concoctions, eyeballs as a delicacy, unidentified organ meats, genital extractions or surprisingly, even raw onions. Andrew Zimmern I’m not!

After a pre-cruise trip into Cambodia, I will disclose that I have uncovered the mother lode!

Allow me to offer a disclaimer in depicting some of these dubious dishes as comfort food. Actually knowing what they are (or were), lends nothing to thoughts of comforting culinary bliss, but to experience something different, really different, is all part of travel. Here are my Five Faves of must try — not to be missed Cambodian street foods. (Reduced down from dozens).

Fish Amok

This tasty blend of seafood and mixed ingredients tops the list and was the the first dish I tried after arrival. Possibly the most authentic of all and referred to as the National Dish of Cambodia, it poses as a street food on the sidewalks but also stars as a staple in top class restaurants. Combine fish, simmered in lemongrass, coconut curry, lime, turmeric and how can you go wrong with anything wrapped in a banana leaf.

BBQ Skewers

The streets teem with the smoke but it’s the inviting aroma that draws you in. Pork, beef, chicken, fish, frogs and sparrows on sticks, grilled over hot coals make these ubiquitous on-the-go, carbonized treats irresistible. One dollar or less will buy you a great skewered snack.

Fried Crickets/Cockroaches/Scorpions/Grubs

Crispy, crunchy, critters fresh out of the fryer. You might recall that I prefaced this list with a must try-not to be missed header. Nowhere did I say you had to like them. In all honesty these “bug buffet” items, aside from the intimidating texture are not that bad. You could even term them as organic. (Is there any other type?) It’s similar to eating potato chips but with the advantage of highly touted nutritional claims. Ordering a basket of wings at home will never carry the same meaning.

Nom bahn chok/Khmer Noodles

Typically consumed as breakfast, it is typically offered on the street by women balancing baskets on a pole across their shoulders. Hand pounded rice noodles with a fishy green curry gravy are topped off with mint leaves, cucumbers, bean sprouts and other assorted greens. Probably not on my reorder list but interesting enough and it might just be your morning cup of tea.

Happy Pizza

In respect of political correctness and fear of what my mother might think, I will be vague on the main ingredient. Let’s just say that the green leafy “not so secret” ingredient is now available over the counter in some licensed USA dispensaries, but more traditionally purchased off the street also. True to its name, it will make you happy in addition to inducing the munches, treating glaucoma and making colors incredibly vivid. For hard core stoners they even have a Happy Happy version! Cheech and Chong, eat your hearts out!

Street food, especially in Southeast Asia, is a great way to jolt your dormant tastebuds to life.

Any evening stroll through the streets will expose hundreds of variations of farm to table meats, organs and produce. Some sound delightful, like banana flower salad or fried water lily with shrimp, but there are also others that fail the Five Faves distinction but qualify for induction into a “dis” honorable mention list.

Durian

If the strange spiky look of this reviled fruit doesn’t put you off, the assault on your olfactory senses will. As they say, smells like hell, tastes like heaven.

Balut

A fertilized duck embryo eaten direct from the egg shell. RAW! Don’t lecture me about the nutritional value and libido enhancement properties, ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

Red Tree Ants With Beef Strips.

Imagine a quinoa type texture but do you really need a description?

Tarantula Tongue, Leg of Lizard, Iguana Toes

Ok, I made these up, but if I had the time I’m sure that I would find them offered somewhere as a holistic cure for what ails you !

If you are traveling to Cambodia or Vietnam, leave your intrepid tendencies at home, pack some bravado and try something off the wall (sometimes literally). Frankly, it might not hurt to pack some Imodium as well, just in case.

Steve Leland

Written by

Cruise junkie, travel journalist with perplexing questions about life..

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