Pheak Sells Rice – Best Khmer Beef Steak in Phnom Penh
By Phatry Derek Pan
At a bustling corner lot outside of O’Russey Market lies a food stall rich with a 15 year history serving one of Phnom Penh’s most ‘stinkiest’ steak sauces. The prahok sauce, a staple ingredient in many Khmer cuisine is made with delicate care by husband and wife, Khon Sopheak and Kear Sina.
“There are 8 ingredients found in our dipping sauce,” Sina told Khmer Nights. “When all combined they include sugar, MSG, lemon, My Boy branded milk, lemongrass, chopped peanuts, red chilis, and the prahok sauce.”
“But what makes our sauce different is the technique,” explained Sina, 38, a Kampong Som native and mother of three children. “We steam the fermented fish to extract out the juice because this increases the sauce’s lifespan and it’s tastier too.”
Pheak Sells Rice
Sina’s signature sauce made fresh daily along with their only two dishes, grilled beef steak (សាច់គោអាំង) and beef tripe (ពោះគោ) packs her wall-less set up, Pheak Sells Rice (បងភ័ក្រលក់បាយ), which maxes out at 16 people beginning at 5pm. Each dish comes with a basket of produce such as raw onions, carrots, lettuce, morning glory, cucumbers, and several other leafy vegetables.
Sina’s signature sauce made fresh daily along with their only two dishes, grilled beef steak (សាច់គោអាំង) and beef tripe (ពោះគោ) packs her wall-less set up, Pheak Sells Rice (បងភ័ក្រលក់បាយ), which maxes out at 16 people beginning at 5pm. Each dish comes with a basket of produce such as raw onions, carrots, lettuce, morning glory, cucumbers, and several other leafy vegetables. For the bold and brave, try shots of their homemade traditional house wine (ស្រាថ្នាំ)—made out of 3 local trees and other special ingredients—for just 2,500 ($0.62) riels per bottle.
“We sell over 100 dishes per day which is around 10kg of meat,” added Sopheak, 42, a native of Prey Veng province. “Around 8am every morning I go shopping for fresh vegetables and meat at the nearby market.”
One of those hundred dishes comes from Phnom Penh native, Seng Chhang, 25, a loyal customer to the Khmer beef steak spot for almost three years. “I was introduced to this place by a former co-worker who ate here years before me,” Chhang explained. “This place is affordable at just $3 a plate, but it’s the flavor and their generous portions that brings me back weekly.”
Their relative success, though, comes with its challenges.
“Prior to opening the street stall in March 2007, the two of us were general laborers who sold seafood inside O’Russey Market,” Sina recalls. “For years we were saving up every dollar to transition into our own business, while we were contemplating about having a family.”
Every morning at 5am in their Boeung Tompuon home, Sina wakes up to prepare their three kids for school that starts at 6:30am. Sopheak begins his routine at 6am setting up the food stall that serves rice dishes for the humbled, hard working class population.
“I don’t want my kids to do what we do in the future,” said Sina. “I want them to study as much as possible; get the degrees that we weren’t able to achieve, and pursue bigger dreams than us.” Her youngest child at 9, she adds, wants to be a medical doctor.
Until they start college, the couple is providing them an early introduction to business. All three children can be seen serving (and studying) customers beginning 5 until closing at 9pm. The oldest son at age 12 is already acting as the cashier.
But for now, the family of five doesn’t mind maintaining its reputation as the longest serving Khmer style beef steak in the O’Russey area.
Where can I find Pheak Sell Rice?
You can find Pheak Sells Rice on Street 111 just north of Oknha Tep Phan Street (182), opposite of Maybank (cash only).
Phatry Derek Pan is the founder of Perfect 10 modelling agency – which you can read about here
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