SAOY: Royal Cambodian Home Cuisine

is an internationally acclaimed Cambodian cookbook by Chef Nak, crowned “Best Cookbook in the World” by the renowned Gourmand World Cookbook Awards—an honor often compared to the highest global recognition in food publishing.

More than a collection of recipes, SAOY is a revival of Cambodia’s royal culinary heritage. Its foundation comes from recipes compiled and taught by Her Royal Highness Princess Norodom Rasmi Sobbhana in the 1960s, preserving a refined cuisine shaped inside the kitchens of Cambodian royalty. Chef Nak respectfully reinterprets this legacy for today—bringing forward long-lost flavors, forgotten techniques, and the deeper philosophy of balance that defines Cambodian cooking at its highest level.

Featuring stunning dish photography and original artwork by talented young Cambodian artists, SAOY is a sensory journey through history—created to cook from, to learn from, and to preserve. Every page celebrates Cambodia’s cultural identity and invites the world to experience Cambodian cuisine as a serious, elegant culinary tradition—timeless, resilient, and profoundly human.

SHOP NOW
Dish from SAOY Cookbook - Chef Nak.jpg
23-03-02 Chef Nak Cookbook-23.jpg
Chef Nak4.jpg
23-03-02 Chef Nak Cookbook-12.jpg
23-03-02 Chef Nak Cookbook-9.jpg
Chef Nak 6.jpg
23-03-02 Chef Nak Cookbook-111.jpg
23-03-02+Chef+Nak+Cookbook-108.jpg

Frequently Asked Questions

  • SAOY: Royal Cambodian Home Cuisine is a cookbook that honors Cambodia’s royal home cooking traditions—recipes, techniques, and flavor balance rooted in Khmer culinary heritage. It’s designed as both a cooking guide and a cultural record of refined Cambodian cuisine.

  • SAOY focuses specifically on Royal Cambodian home cuisine—a style known for precision, balance, elegance, and deeply Cambodian flavor foundations. Alongside recipes, it highlights the cultural context and culinary philosophy that shaped royal and heritage cooking in Cambodia.

  • Many recipes are achievable for home cooks, especially if you follow the steps and prepare ingredients in advance. Some dishes are more intricate (as royal cuisine often is), but SAOY is written to guide you clearly through techniques, pacing, and flavor building.

  • SAOY features classic Cambodian dishes presented through a royal home-cooking lens—aromatic soups, curries, relishes, salads, preserves, and celebratory recipes that showcase Khmer ingredients, careful seasoning, and refined presentation.

  • SAOY uses authentic Cambodian staples—such as kroeung (aromatic paste), fish sauce, palm sugar, kaffir lime, galangal, turmeric, and fresh herbs. Many ingredients can be found in Asian markets, and the book helps you understand substitutions while still keeping the true Khmer flavor profile.

  • SAOY has been recognized internationally, including being named “Best Cookbook in the World” by the Gourmand Awards. It’s widely regarded as a landmark publication for Cambodian cuisine and culinary heritage.