Top 6 Cambodian Soups for Food Lovers

February 02, 2023 - 1438 views

Do you have some plans for a culinary tour in Cambodia? Then Cambodian soup must be the must-try dish you should not miss. Soup, or "Samlor" in Khmer, is often on the lunch and table of locals. So let's discover well-known Khmer noodle soup with BestPrice Travel right here!

Cambodian Soup

Table of Contents

Overview of Khmer Soup
Top 6 Cambodian Soups for Food Lovers

Overview of Khmer Soup

Khmer soup (Samlor or Samlar) is vital to Cambodian cuisine. There are several reasons for that:

They can be done quickly or very simply.
You only need a pot and a heater.
You can put in whatever is available.

Samlor - An Important Part Of Cambodian Cuisine

Samlor - A Popular Cambodian Dish

Khmer soups are typically made from a clear broth. The soups have very distinctive tastes, such as Samlor Machu, which is a sour soup, while Samlor Korko - a traditional dish of Cambodia combined with kroeung.

Here we will introduce to you 6 Khmer soup recipes that you should try when traveling to Cambodia!

Top 6 Cambodian Soups for Food Lovers

1. Samlor Korko

This is one of the most popular Cambodian soups that you must try when you get there. Enjoying this soup, you will feel the jaggery melted in the oil and roasted rice flour. Besides, the dish also stands out with slices of young jackfruit with a slightly acrid taste.

Samlor Korko

Samlor Korko

Ingredients

Khmer kreung: half a cup
Fish paste (prahok): One spoon
Pa-ulr (rice grains, roasted and pounded): 3 tablespoons
Fish, chicken, or tofu: 200g
Vegetables (Khmer eggplant, pumpkin, green banana, green papaya, chili leaf, long bean, green jack fruit, eggplant, bitter gourd leaf)
Palm sugar: 1 tablespoon
Fish sauce: 3 tablespoons
Broth or water: 1 liter

How to Cook?

Step 1: Melt jaggery.

Step 2: Add kreung mixture to liquid sugar.

Step 3: Stir until fragrant and brown, then add vegetables.

Step 4: Add chicken and fish or tofu, water, and prahok.

Step 5: Bring the above mixture to a boil and add the rice flour and simmer for 15 minutes.

Where to eat Samlor Korko?

Malis Restaurant

Address: 136 Preah Norodom Blvd (41), Phnom Penh 12301, Cambodia

Opening Hours: 06:30 a.m - 10:30 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.5

Khmer Kitchen Restaurant

Address: Street 09, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Opening Hours: 09:00 a.m - 11:00 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.5

Mie Cafe

Address: 85 Phum Treng Khum Slorgram, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Opening Hours: 11:00 a.m - 09:15 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.5

2. Samlor Machu Kroeung

Samlor Machu Kroeung has the characteristic yellow color of turmeric and the sour taste of tamarind and features chopped water spinach and beef flavored with “kroeung”. This will be a dish that you can't forget when returning home.

Samlor Machu Kroeung

Samlor Machu Kroeung

Ingredients

Yellow kroeung: 6 tbsp
Beef tenderloin medium-sliced two-bite pieces: 300g
Cooking oil: 3 tbsp
Stock beef or vegetable: 4 cups
Morning glory, also called water spinach or trorkuon in Khmer: 300g
Fish sauce and/prahok (fermented fish paste): 2 tbsp
Tamarind paste (optional): 1 tbsp
Salt: 1 tbsp
Palm sugar (or substitute with brown sugar): 2 tbsp

How to Cook?

Step 1: Prepare water spinach and cut the stem into 3cm lengths.

Step 2: Cut the beef into bite-sized pieces.

Step 3: Put the beef in the golden kroeung and marinate for 15 minutes.

Step 4: Fried marinated beef.

Step 5: Add 4 cups of stock to the pot, put one part of the water spinach in, the rest in the blender with a bit of broth, then put in the pot.

Step 6: Season with fish sauce and/or prahok, optional tamarind powder (depending on how sour you like the soup), salt, and sugar.

Step 7: Simmer for 30 minutes. Present and enjoy.

Where to eat?

Changkran Khmer Restaurant

Address: Mondol 3 Village, Siem Reap 17251 Cambodia

Opening Hours: 11:00 a.m - 10:30 p.m

Price Range: About US $2.42

Nary Kitchen

Address: 32 N. 650, Group Prekmohatep, Svaypor, Battambang 02000 Cambodia

Opening Hours: 08:00 a.m - 10:00 p.m

Price Range: About US $2.42

Smile Restaurant

Address: No.6, Street 7 Riverside, Kampong Cham Cambodia

Opening Hours: 06:00 a.m - 10:00 p.m

Price Range: About US $2.42

3. Samlor Machu Srae

This soup is usually found in any Cambodian household in the countryside. This is definitely one of Cambodia's main soups, you can't leave the country without trying it.

Samlor Machu Srae

Samlor Machu Srae

Ingredients

Water spinach
Fish (usually small) and molluscs (small crabs and snails)
Tamarind
Fish sauce
Chili sauce, Chili peppers
Regular seasoning

How to Cook?

Like Samlor Machu Kroeung, tamarind is added for a sour taste. Alternatively, locals complete the dish with fish sauce topped with chili peppers.

Where to Eat?

Battambang Resort Restaurant

Address: Battambang Resort Wat Kor Village, Battambang 02000 Cambodia

Opening Hours: 07:00 a.m - 10:00 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.62

Woodhouse Restaurant

Address: Street 2.5 Number 77, Battambang 02000 Cambodia

Opening Hours: 10:00 a.m - 10:00 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.62

Sokkhak River Restaurant

Address: Pokombo Avenue Along Siem Reap Riverside, Siem Reap 17259 Cambodia

Opening Hours: 11:00 a.m - 10:30 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.62

4. Samlor Machu Youn

Samlor Machu Youn is a sweet and sour soup originating from Vietnam. "Youn" in its name is the Cambodian slang word for "Vietnamese" and this dish holds an essential place among Khmer soups.

Samlor Machu Youn

Samlor Machu Youn

Ingredients

Tamarind pulp: 1-2 tbsp
Boiling hot water: 1/2 cup
avocado oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
Minced lemongrass: 1 tsp
3 makrut lime leaves, spine removed, and leaves thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into big chunks
1/2 cup ripe pineapple chunks
Fish sauce: 1 tbsp
Soy sauce/coconut aminos: 1 tbsp
White pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
Fish filet, quartered: 3oz
2-6 Thai chilies
Garnish with: Thai basil, mint, cilantro, bean sprouts, green onions

How to Cook?

Step 1: Strain the tamarind pulp through a sieve and pour hot water over the tamarind pulp for 5 minutes.

Step 2: Grind the pulp into a paste, then strain the paste and put it in a bowl.

Step 3: While waiting on tamarind to soften, warm and also place oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Include garlic, lemongrass, onion as well as lime leaves. Mix and prepare up until garlic is lightly browned as well as onion is slightly softened.

Step 4: Add tomatoes, fish sauce, pineapple, chili, soy sauce, and white pepper. Pour in tamarind juice. Cover with a layer of water and place in a bowl.

Step 5: Carefully add the fish fillets and chilies, stir well and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Decorate and enjoy.

Where to Eat?

Davids Noodle

Address: St 13 #166, Phnom Penh Cambodia

Opening Hours: 10:00 a.m - 10:00 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.7

Joe & Boy Restaurant

Address: 6 National Highway In the center of the city opposite the gas station., Koh Kong 09000 Cambodia

Opening Hours: 07:00 a.m -10:00 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.7

5. Samlor Proher

The main ingredient of this soup is Prohok Cambodia's famous fermented fish paste, which is hard to find outside of Cambodia. Therefore, when enjoying this type of Khmer noodle soup, you will feel the unique flavor of fishmeal.

Samlor Proher

Samlor Proher

Ingredients

1 small green papaya (partially skinned, deseeded, and shredded)
Lemongrass
Dried fish
Chili
Prahok paste
Ivy leaves
Moringa leaves
2 garlic cloves peeled and chopped finely
Seasoning: salt, fish sauce, sugar, and soup powder

How to Cook

Step 1: Bring the water to a boil in the soup pot and add two crushed garlic cloves to the soup when it boils and 1 tablespoon of Knorr chicken powder.

Step 2: Wash the prahok and cook the prahok in the pot, take it out, and take the cooking water as the broth.

Step 3: After preparing the papaya, put it in the soup pot, then add the dried fish.

Step 4: Add lemongrass to the pot, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Step 5: Add dried fish, papaya and lemongrass, sugar, and fish sauce. Stir it together for about 1 minute.

Step 6: After the vegetables are cooked, lower the heat and then add the Ivy leaves to the island.

Step 7: Take out the lemongrass, scoop the soup into the bowl and enjoy.

Where to Eat?

Ox Club Restaurant

Address: National Road 6 Slarkram, Next to Borei Angkor Resort & Spa, Siem Reap 17251 Cambodia

Opening Hours: 06:00 p.m - 11:00 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.45

Kabbas Restaurant

Address: #48Eo, Street 172 Chey Chomneas, Daun Penh, Phnom Penh 12206 Cambodia

Opening Hours: 11:00 a.m - 09:00 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.45

6. Samlor Kari

“Kari” is the Khmer word for curry, the appearance of Samlor Kari is very similar to the red curry of Thailand, but when you taste it, you will see the difference between these two dishes. Samlar Kari is usually not spicy and has flavors of turmeric and galangal. You'll also notice familiar flavors of coconut milk and meats like pork, beef or duck.

Samlor Kari

Samlor Kari

Ingredients

2 tablespoons lemon zest or 6 lemongrass stalks
2 small wedges wild lime minced
Ground turmeric: teaspoon
Salt
Minced galangal or minced fresh ginger route: 3 tablespoons
1 cup chopped chives
10 cloves of garlic
4 dried Thai chili peppers soaked in water
Shrimp paste: 2 tablespoons
2 lbs of chicken meat
Vegetable oil: 3 tablespoons
2 potatoes peeled and cut in half
2 eggplants, cut into pieces
1 can of coconut milk
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar

How to Cook

Step 1: Prepare the lemongrass, cut it to 2 - 3 inches thin, and blend in a blender, making sure you have 1¼ cups of lemongrass juice.

Step 2: If you're using lemon zest, peel enough for 2 tsp.

Step 3: Puree chives, chili, garlic, and ginger/galangal.

Step 4: Bring a pot of water to a boil and stir in the curry powder until the mixture turns brown. Add chicken pieces and potatoes and stir for 2 minutes.

Step 5: Add coconut milk, salt, and sugar. Cook over high heat for 3 hours.

Step 6: After about an hour, add eggplant.

Step 7: Garnish it with lemon and dried chili.

Where to Eat?

Sambo - Khmer & Thai Restaurant

Address: Wat Damnak, Located At The Rear Entrance Of Art Center Night Market, Siem Reap, 17000 Cambodia

Opening Hours: 10:00 a.m - 11:00 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.8

Jaan Bai Restaurant

Address: Corner 2 Street and 1 1/2 Street Near Psar Nat, Battambang 02000 Cambodia

Opening Hours: 11:00 a.m - 02:00 p.m & 05:00 p.m - 10:00 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.8

Mealea Restaurant

Address: # 44B St. 240 Sothearos Blvd, Phnom Penh 12000 Cambodia

Opening Hours: 06:00 a.m - 10:30 p.m

Price Range: About US $0.8

Above are the Top 6 Cambodian soups for food lovers you must definitely try according to the Cambodia travel experience shared by BestPrice Travel. If you want to book a food tour to taste various unique cuisine of Cambodia, find your most suitable tour below!

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