I have a love-hate relationship with Khmer food. Some days I LOVE it! Other days, the last thing I want to see is a plate of rice. The boys in my family, on the other hand, ALWAYS like rice.

Thankfully we have lots of interesting options for food here in Phnom Penh. Friends back home are often curious to know what the food is like here in Cambodia, so here is a look at the wonderful variety of options we have.

COOKING AT HOME

We have worked really hard to set up our kitchen with all the necessary cooking items needed to make food at home. Some of the basic kitchen necessities here are a gas stove, rice cooker and hot water kettle. Most Khmer people cook stir fries and soups on a gas stove. 

I also was able to purchase a few western items like an oven (think really big toaster oven), coffee pot, and a pressure cooker. Our house was already furnished with a fridge, which is becoming more common for families in the city who can afford modern conveniences. Our landlord also left us a microwave which is an incredible luxury here! (Microwaves usually cost over $100). 

At home, we cook a mixture of Khmer food and Western food, like some of these dishes:

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EATING OUT

Restaurants had been closed due to the pandemic, but they are now open and becoming more busy. We have great options for ordering take out here! The city has really become more modernized and now you can order food on an app (like Grubhub or Doordash) and have it delivered. There are all kinds of options for international cuisine in the city, like pizza, American, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Thai…the list is endless! It was especially nice to be able to order food in while we were quarantined and then while we were in the process of furnishing our kitchen. 

STREET FOOD

Another option for eating out is street food. A couple evenings a week, Sokion will go to the market and bring home street food, like fried rice or stir fries and fruit shakes. One of my favorite Cambodian foods is actually a breakfast street food called “Bai Sach Chruk” which means Pork and Rice.

GROCERY SHOPPING

Related to eating is shopping. We mix our grocery shopping between the Khmer markets and the modern grocery stores. Shopping is definitely more of a challenge here than in the States. In the markets, you have to barter the prices, but you can usually get fresh produce much cheaper than the grocery store. There are a number of modern grocery stores, but we often have to go to two or three different ones to find specific items. We can find a lot of imported products, although they are more expensive than the States. For example, a box of Cheerios costs around $6. Or this bottle of my kids favorite salad dressing for $8.95!

Also, you never know exactly what ingredients will be in stock at certain stores! Shopping here is always an adventure.

And that’s a little glimpse into the diverse world of food over here!