Vegan Cambodian food certainly exists, the country is hugely into fruit and vegetables, but they are also into things like fermented fish sauce, so it is not always that easy to pull of veganism in Cambodia.
Increasingly there are a number of vegan restaurants, particularly in tourists hotspots like Phnom Penh, or Kampot, but how do you manage Vegan Cambodian Street food?
Vegan Cambodian Street Food tips
Vegan Cambodian Street Food tips
If you’re going out to the boonies, then you will need some Khmer language skills if you are to pull of vegan Cambodian street food.
I do not eat… – “kn-yom mun nyam…”
Fish sauce – “tduk tdrei”
Fish paste – “prahok”
Oyster sauce – “praing kjong”
Eggs – “bpong”
Milk – “tduk dah ko”
Butter – “bur”
Condensed milk – “tduk dah ko cap”
Fish – “dtrei”
Seafood – “ahar samohk”
Chicken – “sackh mo-an”
Pork – “sackh jrouk”
Beef – “sackh ko”
Meat stock – “masow sup”
And yes people will often assume that even though you dot eat meat, or meat products, you will eat eggs, chicken and certainly fish.
For a guide on useful Cambodian phrases click here.
5 Best Cambodian Vegan dishes
Rice
OK stating the obvious, but the Khmer love and eat a ton of rice. A good easy go to wherever you are.
sweet potatoes (dumlowng)
A general Asian street food sensation that you will see nigh on everywhere. Extremely cheap, nothing added and even steamed which makes them largely healthy. Not though kept friendly.
To read about doing keto in Cambodia click here.
Rice baked in banana leaf (nom an som ang)
One for those of you with a sweet tooth. Cooked with a banana in the middle, slightly salty twang and caramelized on the outsied. You see this a lot in the countryside.
Fried breads (nom heng)
Fried breads are a thing in Cambodia. Num Pang is another one, but they tend to be sandwiches with meat. If you can get a Num Pang with just say papaya salad, then got go for that. num being though is default without meat, so always a safe bet.
To read about Num Pang click here .
Papaya Salad
Technically an accompaniment to other dishes, like the aforementioned Num Pang, but great just by itself, or shoved between two tasty bits of bread. People genuinely travel around to find the best papaya salad.
And those 5 of the best Vegan Street Food Cambodia dishes! It is not always easy, but you can survive vegan in Cambodia.