Lowell, Massachusetts, has one of the largest Cambodian population in the US. With the people, comes the culture and food, which you can find a lot of Cambodian restaurants in the city, large and small, trendy and simple. One of those places is Simple Khmer which was once featured on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods.
Cambodian food has similarities to Vietnam and Thai food but also has it’s own twists. You may find similar noodle and rice dishes in different Southeast Asia restaurants, so here I’m only going to share a few of my favorites.
The Loc Lac Beef is cubed beef tenderloin caramelized with a savory sauce of black pepper, garlic and mushroom soy. Served on a bed of shredded lettuce with a tangy lime sauce, and accompanied by sliced tomato and cucumber. The beef has a grilled steak tip texture outside and very tender once you bit in. You can eat it alone or combine the meat and veges together into one bit.
Cha Kroung Sach Moun is minced chicken stir fried with lemon grass, garlic, onion, red/green bell peppers, holy basil, jalapeño kaffir lime leaves, galangal and red chilies. That’s a lot of natural flavor combined. This dish is great to go with white rice.
Their Pork Chop is marinaded with savory source with mild sweetness, fried to crispy and chopped to serve. It’s served with pickled vegetables which sourness balances well with the sweet savory taste of the meat.
They offer many kinds of fried rice with different meat. But the Pineapple Fried Rice sure takes it to the next level. With fresh pineapple halved and carved out as the container, diced pineapple chunks are stir fried with the rice and choice of meat(s) which gives the final product the sweet fruity taste.
Among other Cambodian restaurant in Lowell, Simple Khmer’s price is on the cheaper side. I have taken many friends who came to visit me to this place to have their first experience with Cambodian food and most of them loved the flavors.
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