5 Most Popular Cambodian Noodle Soups

Nom Banh Chok

Possessing a special place in Cambodian culinary heritage, Nom Bank Chok is a must-try dish when you come to Cambodia.

This noodle dish includes lightly fermented rice noodles and flavorful fish-based curry sauce, which will give a rich, savory taste that makes each mouthful enjoyable.

Main Ingredients & How To Cook

• Rice noodles: Created from rice flour and water, these round rice noodles have a soft consistency and look similar to vermicelli which originated from Southern China.
• Curry sauce: The main ingredient for the sauce is fish, which can be snakehead fish, monkfish, or mackerel. Cambodian people extract fish juice by grinding the fish, then mix it with lemongrass, turmeric, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and some coconut cream.
• Toppings: Nom Bank Chok is enjoyed with vegetables such as banana blossom, cucumbers, bean sprouts, or several mint leaves, bringing freshness into the dish.

Nom Banh Chok

Firstly, for the fish juice, you will boil the fish with galangal and kaffir lime leaf for 15 - 20 mins until it’s cooked.

Remove all the bone and only keep the flesh, then pound and mix it with curry paste, which is a ground combination of kaffir lime leaf, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, and chili powder if you prefer spiciness. Boil the curry gently, and add some coconut cream at the end.

Before serving with noodles, you need to put the rice noodles into a pot of boiled water for 2 mins. Leave the noodles to drain and let them cold.

Where To Try

Kuy Teav

Another wonderful option for breakfast in Cambodia is Kuy Teav, a type of noodle soup including rice noodles, umami pork stock, and meat toppings.

Widely available all over Cambodia, Kuy Teav can be found in many places, from normal food stalls to high-end restaurants.

Main Ingredients & How To Cook

• Rice noodles: Unlike Nom Bank Chok, the rice noodles of Kuy Teav are thin and flat, yet also made from rice flour. Soft and chewy, the dish will make you fall in love right at the first bite.
• Broth: Broth is the key feature that makes the noodle soup flavorful. Usually, Cambodian people make this savory broth by simmering pork bones or shrimp and adding aromatics, including garlic, shallots, and lemongrass.
• Toppings: Depending on the eater’s preference, there are a variety of toppings for the dish, such as sliced pork, pork balls, shrimp, fish balls, squid, or offal like liver. Moreover, they also add bean sprouts and fresh herbs - cilantro and basil.

Kuy Teav

First of all, you will combine shrimp, pork bones, shallot, garlic, and lemongrass together in a pot of water, then stew for 1.5 - 2 hours. Remove the bones and other ingredients, only save the broth.

After that, cook the rice noodles in a pot of boiling water until they become soft. Let the noodles drain, then put them into a bowl.

Prepare the toppings you love into the bowl, such as sliced pork, meatballs, or seafood, which are cooked in boiling water, and add on the hot broth as a finishing touch.

Where To Try

Mee Kiev

Mee Kiev, which can be called Mi Kheav, is a Cambodian version of the famous wonton soup in China with Khmer ingredients and seasonings, offering a fusion of flavors from two countries.

This savory dish is made from chicken broth, which is simmered for hours, and cannot lack tiny dumplings, some pork slices, and fresh garlic chives as the toppings. 

Main Ingredients & How To Cook

• Noodles: As an alternative to the egg noodles that are used in Chinese wonton soup, Cambodian people use fresh rice noodles or fermented noodles in Nom Bank Chok, providing a distinctive texture to the noodle soup.
• Dumplings: And can be called ‘wonton’ - a small dumpling packed in a thin dough made from rice flour. The process of making these dumplings is the same as the Chinese wonton, by wrapping the dough around a meatball, which is a combination of ground pork, chopped garlic, ginger, and green onions.
• Broth: Like other noodle soups, the broth for making Mee Kiev is from chicken bones, which is simmering on medium-low heat for 30 mins to 1 hour.
• Toppings: Besides wontons, this Khmer wonton soup is also topped with toppings like Kuy Teav, including pork /chicken slices, bean sprouts, cilantro, and green onions.

Mee Kiev

Marinate the combination of ground pork, garlic, ginger, green onions, with oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, and broth mix.

Place the filling (like a small meatball) in the center of a wonton wrapper, then enclose the filling with eggs or water. When it’s done, boil the wontons until it’s cooked.

For the broth, you will stew chicken bones in a large pot of water for around 45 minutes and remove the bones afterward.

Add the noodles into the boiling water pot for 2 mins, then let them drain. Put the hot broth on the noodles and toppings (wontons and cooked meat slices) - it’s time to enjoy your effort!

Where To Try

Tasting the local cuisine it’s one of the best ways to explore the country you travel to. Trying these Cambodian noodle soups will give you a delectable glimpse into the tantalizing culinary scene of the country.

Make sure you savor these dishes if you have a chance to wander around the bustling streets in Phnom Penh or in Siem Reap.

Let’s take a look at our fascinating package to Cambodia below for an authentic taste of the country's cuisine!

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(Image source: Internet)