Recipe
Prahok Ktis (recipe)
Ground pork simmered with lemongrass paste, chilli paste, prahok and coconut milk into a thick dip for fresh vegetables.
This recipe for prahok ktis (ប្រហុកខ្ទិះ), a pork and fermented fish dip, is from Mona Sang, chef and owner of Khmai Fine Dining.[1] WTTW published it on September 13, 2022. Sang counts prahok ktis among her favorite dishes and links it to her childhood.[1]
Prahok ktis is a creamy dip of prahok, the salty fermented fish paste, cooked with coconut cream, palm sugar and minced pork.[2] It is usually eaten with fresh vegetables such as cucumber, carrots and cabbage.[3] During the pandemic, chef Luu Meng led the preparation of 410 boxes of prahok ktis, each enough for a family of eight, for street sellers, cleaners and other vendors working outside Phnom Penh's Royal Palace.[3] In Chicago, many of the ingredients in this recipe are sold at Tai Nam Market on Argyle Street in Uptown.[1]
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 cups lemongrass paste, blended from lemongrass, garlic, shallots, lime leaf and galangal
- 2 cups non-spicy red chili paste
- 2 lb ground pork
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp chicken powder
- 1/3 cup fish sauce
- 1 cup prahok (fermented fish)
- 3 cups water
- 1.5 cans coconut milk
- Fresh vegetables, for dipping
Method
- Heat the oil with both pastes, stirring now and then, until lightly browned.
- Add the ground pork and cook about three minutes, breaking it up thoroughly.
- Add the sugar, chicken powder, fish sauce, prahok, water and coconut milk and stir to combine.
- Simmer about 30 minutes, until thickened.
- Serve warm with fresh vegetables for dipping.