Cooking for a Cause

Q: I would like to do a Cambodian cooking course while visiting Angkor Wat at Siem Reap in Cambodia. As I do not eat meat or fish, can you recommend a course that caters for vegetarians. I would also appreciate suggestions of good vegetarian restaurants in the town? - Anthea Renton

A: A number of restaurants in Siem Reap offer cooking classes, but, for a unique experience, take a course at the Paul Dubrule School of Hotel and Tourism. The school, located on National Road 6, offers five-hour or full day cooking classes on authentic Khmer food and is vegetarian and vegan-friendly. The main role of the school is to offer hotel training to underprivileged Cambodians on scholarships. Your cooking course fee of 40 US dollars will go towards supporting them. You can also dine at the school's training restaurant, which offers a three-course set lunch with coffee for only six US dollars.
You should not have a problem getting vegetarian meals from most of the restaurants and food stalls in Siem Reap. Just speak to the cook. For authentic vegan Cambodian fare, you can try Chamkar Restaurant. Located in the Passage at the Old Market, it offers items such as stir-fried eggplant with loofah and holy basil, a coconut and mushroom dip and a sweet potato and tomato soup with coconut milk and Khmer cardamom. You can also find great vegetarian fare at the Butterflies Garden Restaurant. Set in a butterfly garden, menu items are listed as "vegan", "vegetarian with dairy" and "vegetarian with dairy and egg". Dishes worth trying are the vegetable coconut curry, the spinach-artichoke quiche, homemade sweet potato chips with curried mayonnaise and the banana sticky rice steamed in a banana leaf. Another place to try is the Singing Tree Cafe, which is a unique vegetarian-friendly restaurant set in a Khmer-style building. It is set up as an eco-venture – combining fresh and healthy meals with community activities and projects. For Indian fare, try The Curry Walla on Sivatha Road. The Indian owners have spices shipped to them directly from India.