Learn to cook an authentic Cambodian meal in the countryside

Meet Bun Hong (Ben)

Ben has come a long way - from driving a tourist scooter to kitchen helper at a restaurant, from being a receptionist at a hotel to now owning his own cooking school. He is truly an inspiration and continues to work very hard dedicating himself to supporting orphan children in rural areas. He is passionate about introducing people to Cambodian culture and way of life through food. He conducts his cooking class in a countryside village, a 15 minute drive from Siem Reap city center. An experience with Ben is filled with the simplicity and joy that emanates from the locals living in the village, eager to cook and share an everyday Khmer meal with you!

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal (1 - 6 guests) Your experience will take place in a traditional kitchen outdoors in the village, surrounded by the rice paddy fields. Ben helps translate as Mrs. Phat La, (the village chief) who will conduct your cooking class does not speak English. Mrs. Phat La learned to cook from her mother and has been cooking for years now. She is renowned for her cooking skills in the village and is often called to prepare traditional wedding feasts. After you learn about local ingredients and traditional cooking techniques, you will sit down to share a meal together that may include dishes such as fresh spring rolls or banana blossom salad, fish/chicken amok (Cambodia’s national dish of a herbed fish mousse) or beef lok lak (beef stir fry) and pumpkin custard or banana rice cake for dessert.

Cooking experience (1 - 6 guests) You will learn how to cook three dishes from scratch in a hands-on cooking class, that will last for 1-2 hours. The cooking area is simple, modest and very traditional. A wood-fired cooking stove is used to prepare all the meals, just like how it is traditionally done in the village. You will leave learning a great deal about Cambodian cuisine, ingredients, cooking styles and traditional culinary secrets!

Market visit (1 - 6 guests) Ben will pick you up from your hotel and drive you 15 minutes to a local market. Tour the market with Ben, hear about the vendors and see where the locals shop. You will stop at each stand to learn about ingredients, how it is used in Khmer cooking and culinary stories of Cambodia. You will spend about 30 to 45 minutes in the market and may even purchase fresh ingredients for your cooking class, if booked.

PERSONALLY VETTED REVIEW

A Traveling Spoon ambassador visited this host. Here is their personal review.

It was a great experience, better than what I expected - Ben was adorable, funny and a very interesting person. We learnt in the most traditional way to cook some Khmer dishes with local people and in a countryside kitchen. Moreover, Ben explains a lot about the culture, the story of Cambodia, why they cook this way, everything about the orphanage he runs as well. There is no better way to learn to cook and also learn more about the beautiful culture of Cambodia. My favorite thing was to make the Amok paste by myself, we cooked it in the traditional way and even got to cut all the ingredients. Ben answered all our questions and at the end of the cooking class we all ate together, shared stories, it was like a dinner with family!

Morgane and Valentins, Traveling Spoon Ambassador

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