Recipe
🥤 DRINK
Tuk Ampov (Sugarcane Juice)
Fresh sugarcane pressed to order and served over ice with a squeeze of kumquat, Cambodia's ubiquitous roadside refresher.
Cambodian · easy · serves 4
prep 10 min · cook 0 min
~14 cal · 0g protein · 5g carbs · 0g fat · 1g fiber · 1g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Tuk ampov, fresh sugarcane juice, is the drink that cools a Cambodian afternoon, pressed to order on street corners and at roadside stalls all over the country. Vendors feed whole stalks of sugarcane through a hand-cranked or motorised roller press, often several times, squeezing out every drop of the pale-green juice.
The signature Cambodian touch is the citrus: a kumquat or two is tossed in and pressed along with the cane, so its sharp, fragrant juice and oils cut through what would otherwise be an overwhelming sweetness. The result is served straight over crushed ice, with no water or sugar needed.
Intensely sweet, grassy, and lifted by the kumquat's tang, it is cheap, natural energy and instant relief from the tropical heat. Watching it pressed is part of the pleasure, and in Siem Reap and beyond, tuk ampov is one of the great everyday refreshments of the street.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
4 cups fresh sugarcane juice
4 kumquats or lime
to serve crushed ice
1 pinch pinch of salt
Instructions
1
If pressing your own, feed peeled sugarcane through a juicer to extract the pale-green juice.
2
Squeeze in the kumquat or lime juice and a tiny pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.
3
Stir well and taste.
4
Pour over plenty of crushed ice and serve immediately, as it oxidizes quickly.
Cambodian roadside tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Siem Reap. Amok names the steaming rather than the sauce. A yellow or green kroeung paste is loosened with coconut, folded through freshwater fish, then set in a banana-leaf cup lined with noni leaves and steamed until it holds like a custard. Quick versions turned out in a wok are common in tourist kitchens and purists do not accept them.
🗺️
Cambodia. Amok is steamed rather than stewed: freshwater fish folded through kroeung and coconut cream, poured into a cup folded from banana leaf and set over steam until egg sets it into something between a custard and a mousse. Kroeung itself comes in colours, yellow, red and green, built on lemongrass, galangal, turmeric and kaffir lime zest.
🌍
Asia. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Cambodia
Fish AmokA silky steamed fish curry-custard in banana-leaf cups, built on pounded lemongrass kroeung and coconut cream.
Bai Sach ChroukThinly sliced grilled coconut-marinated pork over broken rice, with pickles and a clear broth.
Nom Banh ChokRice noodles under a fragrant green fish-and-lemongrass gravy, piled with raw vegetables, Cambodia's Khmer noodles.
Browse all Cambodia recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Keep chilled and covered, and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
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Drinks
Frequently asked questions
What is Tuk Ampov (Sugarcane Juice)?
Fresh sugarcane pressed to order and served over ice with a squeeze of kumquat, Cambodia's ubiquitous roadside refresher.
Where does Tuk Ampov (Sugarcane Juice) come from?
Tuk Ampov (Sugarcane Juice) is a Cambodian dish from Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Can Tuk Ampov (Sugarcane Juice) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Tuk Ampov (Sugarcane Juice) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Tuk Ampov (Sugarcane Juice) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Tuk Ampov (Sugarcane Juice) take to make?
About 10 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 0 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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