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I am slowly but surely becoming a fan of cooking classes when I travel and my most recent Siem Reap cooking class was no exception.
That wasn’t always the case. I think some cooking classes don’t quite strike the balance between actually teaching you and letting you peel one too many onions.
In the last few years, I got lucky with the classes I took though, first in Bali and now during a trip to Siem Reap. While the city is mainly known as the gateway to Angkor Wat you can definitely keep busy for a few more days in the charming little town – doing a Siem Reap cooking class is only one of many things to do there.
What is Khmer cuisine all about?
If you are taking a Khmer cooking class in Siem Reap you will see what the local Cambodian cuisine is all about. While similar to other Southeast Asian cuisines it also has its own distinct flavors and dishes.
A staple is of course rice as well as lots of fish and shellfish from the Mekong River and the Tonle Sap Lake. Coconut is used in both savory and sweet dishes and kroeung paste that is made with ginger, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, and chili. Fear not – most Khmer dishes are definitely less spicy than the neighbor’s dishes.
The national dish of Cambodia is Amok, a dish with fish marinated in the kroeung paste and afterward steamed in coconut milk in a banana leaf parcel. If this dish isn’t part of your Siem Reap cooking class go somewhere else – you will want to eat Amok!
Siem Reap cooking class with Shinta Mani Angkor
There are quite a few operators that offer cooking classes in Siem Reap. Since I stayed at the beautiful Shinta Mani Angkor during a recent trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, we did a class at their authentic Khmer restaurant Kroya.
What most classes will have in common is a market visit so you can get familiar with the local produce and a multi-course meal that you will make and then get to eat.
We started our day with a tuk-tuk ride over to the local market called “Psa Chas” with executive chef Chanrith. I absolutely adore local markets but will have to admit that they might not be for everyone. You won’t find produce any fresher but that also means that some is still alive – even if you are not a vegetarian this might be a bit hard to stomach.
Still, I find a stroll through the markets so fascinating and it gives such a good insight into local culture. It is definitely an advantage to have a chef by your side who can translate and explain all the different herbs, fruit, and vegetable that are typical for Cambodia and Khmer cuisine to you.
We didn’t have to buy any of the ingredients though as those were waiting for us back at the hotel. Kroya Restaurant has its own show kitchen for cooking classes and this is where we got introduced to our menu for the day:
- Mango salad with prawns
- Sour beef soup with morning glory
- Fish Amok
- Sticky rice dumplings
We set to work with chopping, slicing, stirring, and especially exciting – banana leaf parcel making! There is always a chef by your side to guide and help you – in this class, you don’t just work off a recipe, something I very much appreciated.
I will say a cooking class is always more fun if you do it in a group. This way you have someone who can take that silly picture of you in a chef’s hat. Mind you, I have done cooking classes solo and it was always a great way to meet like-minded travelers as well. And if you don’t like eating alone you already have company for lunch sorted!
The nice thing about doing a cooking class organized for tourists: you can actually do as much or as little as you want. Chances are, the kitchen will already have a pre-made jar of sauce somewhere if you are arms are about to fall off over the giant mortar.
A downside: There is always a watchful chef by your side so sneaking little bites to try is hard. Also, there was no wine to accompany the cooking efforts. But maybe that was just not Khmer custom…
Once all is prepared you will get to sit down and (hopefully) enjoy the spoils of your labor. At Kroya, dishes are beautifully presented and served afterward – you get to feast on a proper well, feast.
Booking a Siem Reap cooking class at Kroya
You can book a cooking class at Kroya at the Shinta Mani for $49 per person with a 2-person minimum per class. This includes a tuk-tuk drive and market visit with an executive chef, a cooking class where you will make 4 dishes, and 4-course lunch afterward. You will also get a booklet with all the recipes and a certificate that you “mastered” your cooking class in Siem Reap!
If you want to recreate the dishes you learned at home, I recommend stocking up on dry ingredients while you are still in the country or checking your Asia store once home.
You can find various other cooking classes in Siem Reap here:
2 comments
Hello, my name is Ivonne Corres from Mexico, we will be in Siem Reap little of time, we are looking to have a cooking night khmer classes from 7.00 pm on Monday January 8th, we are a Family of 4 and love cooking, we will like to have this unique experience of living your culture via the food not just having dinner but having cooking lesson, we are going to be at Chhaylang Hotel.
Hopefully you can make it for us
Hey Ivonne, I don’t organize cooking classes but there are a few links in my post that can surely help you 🙂