I had a great time in my two days visiting Cambodia. Siem Reap was a very unique city with a fun downtown area and of course the jaw-dropping masterpiece of the Angkor Wat complex.
The National Dish of Cambodia: Fish Amok
The national dish of Cambodia is called Amok Trei, or in English, Fish Amok. It's a delicious white fish in a yellow coconut curry sauce. The sauce would be described as having a mousse-like texture, and it made it very light and airy. I really do like yellow curry, and I love a light white fish, too. (There was a lot of white fish on the menu here, and we also had a seared white fish dish that was incredible.)
Served with white rice, Fish Amok is a light and creamy meal great for lunch or dinner. It's quite popular both on restaurant menus and also for people to make at home. For this reason, it's the national meal and it's definitely something that tourists need to try when visiting Cambodia.
I am sorry to say that I had never heard of this dish before, despite enjoying Cambodian food, but gosh was it so tasty. We actually ended up having it twice, once for lunch (in the left photo, it's in the back) and once as a dinner appetizer (in the photo on the right, it's in the banana leaf box on the left). The picture on the right is actually the more common way to see Fish Amok because it is traditionally mixed and steamed directly in a handmade banana leaf bowl. I don't know if I had ever seen a banana leaf bowl before! It was held together with a few small toothpicks, although it held its shape pretty well since the banana leaf was cooked like that.
Beef Lok Lak
The second dish our guide suggested we try was called Beef Lok Lak. This was tender bites of beef in a reddish brown sauce, shown in the bottom left of the first photo. I tasted a little tomato and a little red wine in the sauce, and it was very delicious. I don't normally eat beef, but of course, when in Rome... I wanted to be able to try everything that was on the table. This even included having a snail on our food tour in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam!
Veggie Rolls
Yes, I'm sure you've had a veggie roll before, as had I. But you've got to have them here! Fresh and deep fried veggie rolls are very popular in Cambodia, and they were on the menu everywhere we went. We had to be a little careful with what we ate, as my cousin has a serious peanut allergy, but I'm glad we were still able to get some veggie rolls. They're a Cambodian staple, and they make for a great appetizer before the main meal.
In conclusion
A visit to Cambodia is sure to be special, especially if you are going to see the nearly one thousand year old Angkor Wat temples. And of course when you visit, you'll need to eat something. I highly recommend making that something the delicious local cuisine of this beautiful country!