The Art of Khmer Fish Sauce: A Morning at the Prahok Stilt Houses of Kompong Khleang

A Lake That Breathes

We left Siem Reap before the sun cleared the palm trees, heading east on National Road 6. The turn-off at the town of Kompong Khleang is about 55 kilometres from town, and the last stretch is a red-earth track that rattles the tuk-tuk. By 7:30 we were standing on a wooden deck that looked out over Tonle Sap, the great lake that doubles and triples in size each monsoon. The stilt houses here are not a tourist set-piece; they are a working village of several thousand people, raised on stilts up to eight metres high, waiting for the water to rise.

The Smell of a Craft

The first thing you notice is the smell. It is not unpleasant, but it is insistent: a deep, briny, almost cheesy aroma that clings to the air. It comes from the rows of tall earthenware jars that sit under the stilts, their mouths sealed with plastic sheeting and weighted with stones. This is where prahok is made. Prahok is the fermented fish paste that underpins nearly every Khmer meal, the way fish sauce does in Vietnam or soy sauce in China. Here in Kompong Khleang, families still make it the old way, using the small, silvery fish that swarm the lake when the water recedes.

We climbed down a ladder to stand among the jars. A woman named Sokha, who has lived here all her life, lifted a corner of the plastic so we could see inside. The fish, mixed with salt and rice bran, were pressed into a dense, grey-purple mass, slowly breaking down over the next three to six months. She explained that the best prahok comes from fish caught between December and February, when the lake is low and the fish are fat. She offered us a taste from a jar that had been curing for four months. It was sharp, salty, and deeply savoury, nothing like the fish sauce we knew from bottles. We spread a little on a piece of cucumber, and it was surprisingly bright.

A Village on Stilts

After the jars, we wandered through the village. The houses are connected by a maze of wooden walkways, some barely wide enough for two people. Children ran past us, laughing, carrying buckets of water. Women sat on their porches, sorting fish into baskets, their hands moving fast and sure. The lake was still low, so the stilts stood exposed like the legs of wading birds, and the ground below was a patchwork of drying fish racks, boats propped on their sides, and the occasional pig rooting in the mud. In a few months, all of this will be underwater, and the villagers will paddle from door to door.

We stopped at a small shelter where a group of men were pounding fish with wooden mallets. This is the second stage of prahok-making: after the fish have fermented, they are mashed into a paste, then mixed with more salt and left to age again. The rhythm of the mallets was steady, like a slow heartbeat. One of the men offered us a handful of the fresh paste, still warm from the pounding. It was softer and more delicate than the aged version, almost creamy. He told us that his family has been making prahok this way for three generations.

Getting There

Kompong Khleang is about 55 kilometres from Siem Reap by road, a 90-minute drive depending on the state of the track. Most drivers will know the way, but it is worth confirming that they are happy to wait for a few hours. The road is paved until the last few kilometres, which are rough and dusty in the dry season and muddy in the wet. The best time to visit is in the morning, before the heat builds and while the village is still busy. There is a small boat landing where you can hire a local boat to take you out onto the lake, but the village itself is best explored on foot. Ask your host or guesthouse to arrange a driver; it is a longer trip than most day tours, so expect to pay more than a standard temple run.

Good to Know

• Dress respectfully: This is a working village, not a show. Cover your shoulders and knees, and ask before taking photos of people, especially the women working on the fish.
• The smell lingers: If you are sensitive to strong odours, consider bringing a scarf or mask. The fish scent will stay on your clothes, so wear something you do not mind washing.
• Best season: The dry months from December to March are ideal, when the lake is low and the prahok-making is in full swing. In the wet season, the water rises and the village becomes a floating world, but the fish work is quieter.
• Taste before you buy: Many families will sell small jars of their prahok. It is a wonderful souvenir, but check with customs regulations if you plan to take it home. Otherwise, enjoy it in a local restaurant, where it is often served as a dipping sauce with fresh vegetables.

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