Street and Market Food Cambodian Style

     One of the first things you would notice when you come to Cambodia are the food stalls and food carts everywhere. They line the streets, al fresco cooking and eating and they almost always have customers at any given time of the day. They abound the wet markets too and it is not unusual to see tourists eating at these places.

     I normally do not eat street food, in any country. Or at least that's what I've declared.. Lol! I do eat, when someone I trust can vouch that it is clean and they haven't gotten sick from it. I love barbecued "isaw" and always bought fishballs after church in Greenmeadows.  

    Probably the very first I tried here was boiled corn. Introduced by a friend who is hooked on them. That day we were in the market for some shopping in Russian Market and we passed by this lady. I worriedly asked my friend if she was certain it was clean and she waved off my fears saying that it has "passed heat". But seeing as she's alive and fairly kicking up to now then it was probably okay.

     Obviously this wouldn't be ours. Food is normally handled here bare-handed, which would put any seller in other places out of business. But we did request that she wear plastic over her hand for ours. Of course, she had most likely touched them earlier when she peeled them.

     This friend also introduced me to deep fried bananas which admittedly are delicious with very crunchy crust. It is cooked in large vats of oil and yes, it is heated up when you buy. 

Golden crisp goodies we occasionally have for snacks on the way home from school.

   

Lo Cha is one of the most popular and common noodles being sold on the streets and markets. This is made with short and fat noodles with bean sprouts, veggies, meat and fried egg. 

 The Lo Cha  is cooked at another store but we always eat at this man's area. He boasts to have the best Iced Coffee with Milk, a popular  drink here. It was quite good with a strong caffeine kick hitting you later on. His stall in Russian Market is the only one given the seal of approval by our friend who is also quite particular about where to eat at.

Our helper likes "kabak". I don't know what it's called here and in other parts of the Philippines but it's just flour, deep fried and covered with sesame seeds. It's hard and crunchy on the outside but soft enough on the inside. It's not a favorite of mine but I eat when we have it.

Lastly, but definitely the favorite above any other food that I buy from the market is the jackfruit. The variety they have is crisp and firm yet very sweet. It is usually sold deseeded but I buy it a huge chunk of it seeds and all. I'm looking to buy an entire fruit because 3 kilos isn't enough for the kids and me. 

Compared to bugs, frogs and tarantulas, what I buy are boring. But then, I'm only looking to enjoy food and not to get sick. We've made plans to try out the exotic food. Call me chicken but it might remain just that, plans.  


Til next post!

Sandee