Last month while we were out in Prey Veng province I picked up a container of all natural pickled red ants from a seller in Ba Phnom. It can be quite expensive to purchase these in Phnom Penh but I got a good price on them out in the countryside.

These large red ants are a common type of tree ant in Cambodia’s wooded areas. At the right angle the translucent ants glow in the sunlight. Foreign visitors sometimes call them fire ants but, as a native of the Southern United States, I can assure you that they are not that kind of fire ants. They are large, slow, and relatively docile tree ants.

These ants are particularly popular additions to kroeung dishes like Beef Sour Soup with Kroeung Paste. They add a sour lemon flavor to the dish. One of the most popular dishes with pickled red ants is a stir fry with kroeung paste.