Cambodia Trip: A Guide to Eating Cheap Khmer Food in Siem Reap

During our stay in Siem Reap, we mostly ate on the streets and nearby eateries. Because of having a limited budget, food is one of the things we had to compromise when eating in Cambodia.

We spent 3 days and 2 nights there but we did not starve ourselves during that trip. However, we didn’t splurge either. Average food costs around 2 to 2.50 USD but we really went in for those cheaper alternatives such as 1 dollar meals.

Breakfast Meals in our Guesthouse
Breakfast food were already provided during our stay in Bousavy Guesthouse so we saved a lot considering we had three meals in total.

What I like best is that they always have a banana and some pineapple slices on the side to go with the breakfast. A simple meal can look great when you know how to present it. With the big servings, my friends were not able to eat it all so lucky for me, I got to take the remaining portion of their food. hehe.

bread omelette khmer fried noodles cambodian
Omelet with Bread (Baguette) | Stir-Fried Noodles with Vegetables and Meat

cambodian pancake waffles ice tea cambodia
Pancake with maple syrup | Iced Tea

Dinner Meals at Bousavy Guesthouse
Apart from the free breakfast meals, we took advantage of a package that included one free dinner meal of our choice. It was great that we were able to choose from a wide set of choices. I apologize if I was not able to write down the actual names written on the menu.

fish soup
Milk Fish Soup | Pork Curry

khmer cuisine
Pork Meat in Coconut milk — not sure if this is Amok

Meals Outside
Fried Rice with Meat and Noodles – Nayeli, a reader of this blog, noticed that Cambodia doesn’t have specific names for food except for Amok. The rest of the food are called by what’s in them. After going through my notes, I would have to agree with her assessment. Or probably I haven’t scouted those genuine Khmer cuisine? I’m not even sure if we were able to eat their national food called Amok.

khmer noodles vegetable fried rice
Noodles – their version of Pancit Canton | Fried Rice with Veggies and Shrimp

pineapple fried rice pork fried rice
Fried Rice with pineapple and Beef | Fried Rice with Pineapple and Pork

Ice Cream in a Mall
After enduring the heat from walking under the sun during the tour around the temples, what better way to reward yourself than to eat some frozen delights? We dropped by a mall and saw an ice cream booth selling different flavors of frozen delights. I love the fact a scoop didn’t cost as much. 1.50 USD per scoop is definitely not bad.

khmer ice cream
Ice Cream – 1.50 USD – cheaper than Gelatissimo!

Street Food
Spinach Rice Cake – We were walking along the road in the Central Market in Siem Reap when we saw a man pushing a cart. We came closer and found out he was selling some rice cakes to which we bought without hesitation. The main ingredient? Spinach.

spinach rice cake
Spinach Rice Cake – 1 USD

Banana Pancake – Every time I saw banana pancakes in Siem Reap, the tune of Jack Johnson’s song of the same title would play in my mind. I would imagine that I was in a beach under a coconut tree, eating those sweet treats.

The dough is put on a pan, bananas are added. Once cooked, milk is poured and cocoa powder is sprinkled. It is then placed on a paper and then wrapped and rolled for eating. It looks more delectable than the way I described it though.

banana pancake cambodia
Banana Pancake – 1 USD for 2 pieces

In Cambodia, we felt rich because the dollars that we carried have higher values. Hopefully when I visit this country again, I’ll have more cash to splurge and I’ll be able to dine in a restaurant that serves traditional Khmer cuisine at a minimum price. In general, the food lacked a little kick to make them a gastronomic experience; or maybe I was expecting spices as that of Thailand. Still, the prices were already good enough because the servings were worth the money we paid for.

We were unlucky to see fried crickets and other bugs on the street. Too bad, it would’ve been another experience to eat a spider there. Probably next time.

Here’s a couple of comprehensive guides about Siem Reap:

Check out my other adventures here:


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soloflightEd.com is a travel blog by Edcel Suyo. He enjoys performing headstands and crazy stunts during his trips in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Now based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and working to earn a living, he takes time to enjoy the city and travel during weekends.
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18 thoughts on “Cambodia Trip: A Guide to Eating Cheap Khmer Food in Siem Reap”

  1. Oo nga the fruit shakes are cheap and great. In one day, nakaka five yata ako! ha ha mainit din kasi. Good job eating a veriety of food. Ako kasi, chicken fried rice masaya na! and egg noodles are also great but i take out the pork. di kasi ako kumakain! he he
     

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  2. yes, that's Amok. yan exactly inorder kong dinner sa Bou Savy!
    i appreciate the free bfast and dinner in that gueshouse, mahal kasi sa labas. $2 agad. sayang din ba?
     
    i tasted that "siopao" too. di ko alam name. pero mas madami kayong nakainan. kainggit, may icecream pa!

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  3. @thepinaysolobackpacker: haha. dami kong kinain kasi di naubos ng mga kasama ko. hehe. yeah, me too, except for street food, ok lang yung taste. nothing extraordinary. but it love their servings talaga. pwde na sa akin yung isang plate! 😀

    @lakwatsera de primera: you should try them, they feel healthy too! ahh, banana pancakes in my mind 🙂

    @pinoy boy journals: grabe ang 5 shakes talaga! haha. ganun ba? pork? that's one trivia about you! 

    @chyng: dami kasi tatlo kami, share share. sarap din ng ice cream kasi mura din! haha. thanks talaga chyng! iba ang powers ng guide to cambodia and everywhere else mo! 😀

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  4. @Pinoy Adventurista: no problem, your site is also helpful so thanks as well! 😀

    @Rizalenio: sarap ng pancakes talaga! you should try the rice with pineapple too. hehe:D

    @poot: indeed it's cheap! thanks for dropping by. 

    @ryan: not so sure. you may want to try a gorilla pod 🙂

    @Happy Sole: haha, gutom talaga!

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  5. That does look like amok. I think anything that's swimming in coconut milk is amok. I had the chicken variety though. This post made me miss Siem Reap. I love that town!

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  6. @AJ: I thought Amok was limited for fish only. haha. Thanks for clarifying that out. I wish to go back there!

    @vin: love the big servings there. thanks for visiting this blog! 😀

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  7. There's a mall in  Siem Reap??!!! Where there???!!!:) Would definitely go back 2012 with my then husband hehehe! He's never been to any country before and we are planning on doing a backpacking trip for 18 days for a late honeymoon. I miss Siem Reap, it's so laid back. Ever noticed that at night there are no stars?:) I don't know if it was only during our visit but I didn't see stars the whole time we were there.

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  8. @Krystle: nope, i wouldn't call it a mall. it's a building with 3 floors with a grocery shop and some other restaurants, located somewhere going to the downtown area, near the Caltex gas station (I think). 18 days? wow, that's a great plan to spend as a late honeymoon! I was too preoccupied with the night market to think about the stars (haha!). there was one time when we were in our guesthouse, the moon was full – and yes no stars at that time. will see it when i get back! 😀

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  9. Chusska, Indian Vegetarian Restaurant
    CHUSSKA. pure Indian Vegetarian Restaurant Halal in Siem Reap, serve the finest, most authentic Indian vegetarian food in smart yet comfortable restaurant located in the heart of Town. Vegetables are an integral part of food and consume them in a number of ways. Can boast for its innumerable varieties of tasty and nutritious vegetarian dishes add a number of spices to make them really exotic and also prepared using different methods of cooking. Offer a number of tempting Indian vegetarian recipes of mouth-watering dishes.

    Opening Hours: 11:00 to 22:00 for Lunch and Dinner.
    Location:Street# 7,Old Market Area one block north of Pub Street,Siem Reap,Cambodia
    Tel : +855 (0) 12 212138
    E-mail : chusska@yahoo.com
    Cuisine: Indian (Vegetarian kitchen)
    Price Range: Affordable (3$ to 6$)

    Reply
  10. Hi, thanks for your great blog. My name is Veasna Kay and i’m a local chef here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. My love of Khmer food has led me to create regular video recipes which I upload online weekly. If Visitors of this page are interested they can see them on my website – I also teach private cooking classes for visitors here in Phnom Penh. I believe Khmer Food is the best in the world and slowly but surely people will become more aware of our amazing food heritage and natural culinary skills.

    Reply

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