I've been on the road in South East Asia for a little over two years now. One of the best things about traveling is you get to try so many different restaurants and dishes. Lately, I've been "trapped" in Cambodia due to travel restrictions and COVID. While Cambodia does have amazing food, it can get a little boring eating out all the time.
Also with the lack of tourism and business, many of my favorite restaurants have been forced to close due to no business.
Last January I decided to upgrade my apartment to a full-sized place with a great kitchen. I always loved to cook at home and decided it was time to start cooking. I was definitely missing home-cooked food as well.
Shopping for Ingredients
It's pretty easy to get fresh ingredients in Siem Reap. There is one mid-sized open market near the center of town that has amazing vegetables, fish, & meat for sale relatively cheap. Two kilos of chicken will set you back $5 USD while veggies are usually around $1 kilo no matter what you pick. A kilo of jasmine rice is less than $1.
If you need western ingredients, Angkor Market is a full-sized and stocked western market. Expect to pay much more for certain ingredients here though. You can find anything from Mexican to Italian ingredients here.
You can easily feed yourself for a few dollars a week if you were to stick to chicken, rice and veggies. Unfortunately, I end up splurging and end up around $50-$60 in groceries a week. Eating out at local Khmer restaurants every day would actually cost less than my grocery bill. Oh well, I like cooking and want to eat homemade Tacos, stroganoff, and bolognese sauce.
Solo Nomad Recipes
As a solo traveler, I always end up with friends over for dinner or plenty of leftovers for the next day. Maybe I'll start posting some of my more popular and easy recipes so other travelers can start cooking instead of eating out every day. What do you think? Do you like cooking while on the road or do you prefer to dine out every day?
Thanks for Reading and Stay Tuned for More Nomad Cooking in SE Asia!
I hope you enjoyed reading this article. I know I enjoyed eating the food. I cook at least one meal a day while living in Cambodia and will start sharing some of the best and easiest recipes I've created while living here.
Let's Connect
I hope everyone is enjoying these posts. I'm sure everyone is anxious to get back out on the road and enjoy life the way we could before the pandemic.
I encourage everyone to do what they can to stay safe and stop the spread of Covid. This doesn't mean living in fear. Do what's right and do what you can to stay healthy! Let's beat this thing and get back to traveling!
Currently based in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I'm a solo-traveling, digital nomad. Due to the pandemic, I've been living in Siem Reap for almost 2 years now. While I'm hoping to get back on the road soon, I'm not in a rush.
I'd love to connect with other travelers, digital nomads, gamers, or residents of Cambodia. Don't hesitate to say hi or send me an upvote!
You can learn more about me and my company at OneZen.me.