The First and Only Cooking School

Cambodia Cooking Class is the first and only Khmer cooking school for travellers in Phnom Penh.

We have just moved to a new location in the centre of Phnom Penh, right behind the Royal Palace. You are now cooking and enjoying your culinary creations on a breezy rooftop terrace.

Khmer cuisine

Some guide books say that Cambodia's cuisine is nothing to write home about and a poorer cousin to Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. Now, that is completely untrue. A thousand years ago the Khmer Kingdom, which centred on Angkor, ruled an empire that included most of south-east Asia. Hence, many of the Thai and other regional dishes have their roots in Khmer cooking from that time!

While there are similarities, Cambodian cuisine should be taken in its own right. Khmer recipes go back to the days before the introduction of the chilli, so are consequently much milder than most Asian food. The Portuguese brought the chilli to Asia in the 16th century.

Experienced teacher-cook

In our cooking school you learn how to prepare traditional, delicious Khmer dishes under the guidance of Li Heng (nicknamed 'Lucky'), our young but enthusiastic, friendly and experienced English-speaking teacher-cook.

He will take you to the market, explain everything about Cambodian vegetables, herbs, spices and other ingredients and teach you the art of Khmer Cuisine.

Hands-on

Hands-on action in our cooking school! You will explore traditional methods of food preparation, particularly the use of mortar and pestle to pound and grind herbs and spices to enhance their flavours and nutrition. You'll make everything from scratch with the freshest possible ingredients.

Every student gets his or her own working area and burner on a cool open-air rooftop terrace. You cook while the teacher demonstrates and troubleshoots.

Not only will you prepare delicious meals, but you'll have a great time as well. Have fun, learn and relax in our Phnom Penh Cooking School!

Find out more about our cooking courses.

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