All activities / Culinary / Cooking / Phnom Penh
Culinary / Cooking in Phnom Penh
Cambodia's riverside capital at the meeting of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers, a low-slung city of French-colonial shophouses and boulevards, the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, and the Khmer sculpture of the National Museum, long the political and cultural heart of the country.
Why here
Phnom Penh is Cambodia's food capital, and a cooking class here comes with the country's best markets on the doorstep. The city's crowded wet markets, Central Market and Russian Market among them, are where a class begins, learning the herbs and pastes that define Khmer cooking before heading to a kitchen. The repertoire is the national canon done well: fish amok steamed in banana leaf, beef lok lak seared and served with a lime-and-pepper dip, nom banh chok rice noodles under a fish gravy, and fresh spring rolls. As the capital, Phnom Penh also has the depth of teachers and long-running schools to turn a single class into a proper grounding, and it pairs naturally with the National Museum and riverfront on either side of the lesson.
Best months
Classes run year-round, morning or afternoon, and last three to four hours including the market walk. The dry season from November to March is the most comfortable for wandering a wet market. Classes stay small, cook two to four dishes, and readily do vegetarian and vegan versions of amok and curries. Book a day ahead in the busy season, and come hungry, since you eat what you cook.
Getting there & around
Most classes are central, within a short tuk-tuk ride of the riverfront, and include the market visit and all ingredients. Sessions end with a sit-down meal of the dishes prepared, and the recipes are emailed or handed over afterwards. No experience or equipment is needed. Central Phnom Penh is walkable between the markets, the museum and the palace, so a class slots easily into a day in the capital.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (1)
La Table Khmere
SchoolLa Table Khmere runs Khmer cooking classes from a kitchen on Street 61 near Wat Phnom in central Phnom Penh. Morning, afternoon and full-day classes begin with a walk to the local market to choose ingredients, then a hands-on session with the Khmer teaching team cooking a starter, a main and a dessert to eat together, with recipes emailed afterwards. Classes stay small, run daily and are booked directly with the school, not a resale platform.