Craving for something that’s deep-fried and crispy? Look no further! Almost every market carries these popular deep-fried street food items. The diet can wait, for now, indulge in Phnom Penh’s sinful delicacies.
Deep-Fried Shrimp/Fried Shrimp Cake
Deep-fried shrimp is a local favourite and for good reason. The tempura-style batter gives the fritter a nice blend between chewy and crispy textures. Of course, the shrimp is the star of the show; they add a nice savoury touch to the fatty breading. You’ll find it hard to stop after one bite.
Some stalls add a unique flair to the dish by topping the fried shrimp on baguettes instead of frying it with batter. Others fry it with larger prawns for a meatier texture. Why stop at one? Try all versions while you have the chance!
Chet Chien (Vegan)
Chet chien is Cambodia’s version of banana fritters. Crispy and savoury on the outside but soft and sweet on the inside, this addictive snack makes a good pick-me-up to beat that afternoon food coma.
If you’ve been to Indonesia or Malaysia, the snack may seem familiar. With chet chien, the banana is flattened on a plastic sheet giving the snack its long pole-like appearance. Indonesian pisang goreng is usually sliced and stacked in layers as opposed to being flattened.
Nom Kong (Vegan)
Cambodians love their donuts. Generously caramelised with a syrupy glaze and topped with sesame seeds, this dessert packs a punch. This is also one of the street foods that are “accidentally” vegan. The dough is made with rice flour and coconut milk; that’s right, no dairy and eggs.
Nom Ka Chai (Vegan)
Nom ka chai is a delightful blend of crispy and chewy. Chives are stuffed into the thick rice cake and dipped into a wok to be fried. The rich flavour of the chives bursts in your mouth as you bite into the cake. The dish is vegan as long as you omit the fish sauce dipping.
Deep-Fried Balut/Pong Tia Koon
Normally associated with the Philippines, Balut is known as pong tia koon in Cambodia. If you’ve heard about this infamous dish, you know that it’s a fertilised developing egg. Like all street food in Phnom Penh, everything is thrown into a deep vat of oil. This actually makes the dish much easier to eat! If you’re squeamish about the slimy texture of the standard pong tia koon, having it fried will make it seem less “raw”.
The fried variant can be harder to find. Sometimes you’ll find them at skewer stalls. If you’d like to ask the hawkers if they carry fried pong tia koon, show them this: ពងទាកូន ចៀន. Read as “pong tia koon chien”, the last word “chien” or “ចៀន” basically means fried.
