Khmer Cooking Class in Siem Reap: Learn from a Professional Chef

Cook Four Khmer Dishes in a Traditional House, Then Eat Them

A two-hour cooking class in Siem Reap where you visit a local market to select ingredients, then prepare authentic Khmer dishes—Chicken Banana Salad, Beef Lok Lack, Khmer soup with smoked fish, and Banana Delight—under the guidance of a professional chef in a traditional Cambodian house with gardens. The class includes all ingredients, a cooking certificate, water and a hat; children from age 4 are welcome, and an English-speaking guide leads the session.

The Experience

The class starts at the local market near the Old Market, where you walk through stalls to find the produce and proteins you'll cook with. A professional chef points out what makes each ingredient work in Khmer cooking—the fish for the amok, the herbs that go into the soup, the bananas for both the salad and the dessert. You see how the market works and what the restaurants source from, so when you step into the kitchen later, the ingredients are not abstract.

Back at the facility—a traditional Cambodian house about 900 metres from the Old Market—you cook under the chef's instruction. The kitchen is set up for the class, and you make four dishes: Chicken Banana Salad, Beef Lok Lack, Khmer soup with smoked fish, and Banana Delight for dessert. The chef walks you through the techniques, the timing, the balance of flavors. You're not watching a demonstration; you're doing the work, with the chef correcting and guiding as you go.

Once the cooking is done, you sit down in the gardens and eat what you made alongside the other students in the class. You get a cooking certificate at the end, bottled water throughout, and a hat to wear while you're working in the kitchen. The whole thing runs two hours from start to finish.

What’s included

• All four dishes you cook (Chicken Banana Salad, Beef Lok Lack, Khmer soup with smoked fish, and Banana Delight).
• bottled water.
• a cooking hat.
• a cooking certificate.
• and a meal eaten in the gardens after you finish cooking.

Good to know

Infant seats availablePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Reveal Angkor

Is this one for you?The class is centrally located with public transport nearby, so you don't need a car or a hotel in a specific area to get there. You start at the market and end with a meal in the gardens, which means the whole experience—sourcing, cooking, eating—stays in one place and one morning or afternoon.

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Top questions

What dishes do I actually cook in this class?

You prepare Chicken Banana Salad, Beef Lok Lack, Khmer soup with smoked fish, and Banana Delight for dessert. All four are included in the class, and you cook each one from scratch under the chef's guidance.

Do I need to know how to cook already?

No. The class is built for people learning Khmer cooking for the first time. The chef teaches you the techniques and the flavors step by step, and you work at your own pace alongside the other students.

What happens at the market part of the class?

You visit the local market near the Old Market to see and select the fresh ingredients you'll use in the kitchen. The chef explains what each ingredient is and why it matters to Khmer cooking, so you understand what you're working with before you start cooking.

Can I bring children to this class?

Children from age 4 are welcome. Infants can attend if they sit on an adult's lap, and specialized infant seats are available if you need one.

Is the class in English?

Yes, the guide and chef conduct the class in English throughout the market visit and the cooking session.

Where exactly is the cooking facility located?

The facility is a traditional Cambodian house with gardens, located approximately 900 metres from the Old Market in central Siem Reap. Public transportation options are available nearby if you don't have your own transport.