Discover Cambodian recipes curated by Chef Nak
Rooted in heritage, seasonal ingredients, and the everyday rhythm of Cambodian home cooking. From iconic dishes like Fish Amok to fresh salads, soups, curries, and sweets, each recipe is guided by flavor balance, technique, and cultural storytelling. Cook along step by step, then explore deeper through our cookbooks, experiences, and ingredient journeys.
Cambodian Fish Amok
Cambodia’s most iconic steamed curry, silky coconut custard, fragrant kroeung, and gentle heat, steamed in banana leaf cups until aromatic and tender. A dish of balance and comfort, best shared with Cambodian Malys Angkor rice.
Serves: 4–6 • Total: ~45 min • Difficulty: Medium
Key flavors: coconut, lemongrass, kaffir lime
From my cookbook, NHUM - Recipes from a Cambodian Home Kitchen.
Beef Lok Lak (Lok Lak Sach Ko)
Cambodia’s beloved “shaking beef," tender cubes seared hot, served over crisp lettuce, tomatoes, and onion, with a sharp lime and Kampot pepper dipping sauce. Finished with a sunny-side egg for the perfect balance of rich and bright.
Serves: 6–8 • Total: 45 min • Difficulty: Easy–Medium
Key flavors: savory beef, garlic, lime, Kampot pepper
From my cookbook, NHUM - Recipes from a Cambodian Home Kitchen.
Num E
Colorful sticky rice balls served in warm coconut cream sugar syrup scented with pandan and ginger—soft, chewy, and nostalgic. Made with natural colors from pandan and beetroot, plus longan and coconut for contrast.
Serves: 6–8 • Total: 50 min • Difficulty: Medium
Key flavors: coconut, pandan, ginger, brown sugar • Texture: soft-chewy
From my cookbook, NHUM - Recipes from a Cambodian Home Kitchen.
Meang Nem
Meang Nem is a sweet-and-sour Khmer salad with a long history in Cambodia, once prepared and served at the Royal Palace. This is Chef Nak’s version—bright, aromatic, and deeply balanced. Roasted rice powder gives the dish its signature fragrance and gentle nuttiness, lifting the salad into something unforgettable. You may expect the dressing to taste sharply citrusy from lime, bitter lime, and pickled scallion brine, but once it meets the herbs and vegetables, it becomes beautifully sweet and sour. It’s also easy to adapt for vegetarians by omitting the dried shrimp and fish sauce (or swapping in soy sauce and sea salt).
Serves: 6–8 • Total: 45 min • Difficulty: Easy–Medium
Key flavors: sweet–sour citrus, roasted rice powder, toasted coconut
From my cookbook, SAOY - Royal Cambodian Home Cuisine.
Chicken Emerald Soup (Samlor Morokot)
A fragrant Cambodian coconut soup glowing “emerald” from tender snow peas, built on an aromatic paste of lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, and herbs. Finished with Khmer basil and lime leaf for a bright, elegant bowl.
Serves: 4–6 • Total: 60 min • Difficulty: Medium
Key flavors: coconut, lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal, herbs
From my cookbook, SAOY: Royal Cambodian Home Cuisine.
Fish Salad With Shredded Coconut
(Plea Moat Teuk)
A celebration starter often called “Riverside Ceviche”—paper-thin fish cured in lime, tossed with fragrant toasted coconut, herbs, and peanuts for a bright, savory-sweet balance. Best served immediately after dressing.
Serves: 4–6 • Total: 55 min • Difficulty: Medium
Key flavors: lime, toasted coconut, herbs • Serve: immediately
From my cookbook, SAOY - Royal Cambodian Home Cuisine.
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![Chef Nak's cooking show video unveils Siem Reap's gem: 'Fresh Cambodian Rice Noodles with Teuk Prohok.']()
Fresh Cambodian Rice Noodles with Teuk Prohok
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![Very delicious dish from Kampong Thom province]()
Sam Os
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![Delicious Cambodian recipes from Chef Nak]()
Fresh Cambodian Rice Noodles with Fried Fish and Tamarind Source
