Recipe
Samlor Korko (recipe)
Cambodian stirred soup of meat and mixed vegetables seasoned with Khmer curry paste and prahok and thickened with ground roasted rice.
This recipe for Samlor Korko, the Cambodian stirred soup of meat and mixed vegetables, follows the version published by 196 Flavors.[1] The soup is also written samlor kako, samlor koko and somlaw koko, and in Khmer as សម្លកកូរ.[1] Its name translates as "stirring soup" or "stirring pot soup."[2]
This version begins with a homemade Khmer curry paste, or kroeung, then builds the soup on palm sugar, prahok (fermented fish paste) and fish sauce. The prahok and fish sauce give it salt and umami.[1] The meat can be chicken, pork or beef.[1] Ground roasted rice thickens the broth and adds texture.[2] The recipe serves six, with 45 minutes of preparation and 45 minutes of cooking.[1]
Ingredients
For the Khmer curry paste:
- 3 oz galangal
- 2 oz fresh ginger
- 2 oz fresh turmeric
- 3 oz lemongrass, very finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 10 kaffir lime leaves
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
For the soup:
- 2 tsp oil
- 2 tbsp palm sugar, reduced to powder
- 1 tbsp prahok (fish paste)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp rice, roasted and ground
- 4 tbsp Khmer curry paste (kroeung)
- 1.5 lb chicken, beef or pork, cut into large pieces
- 3 lb assorted vegetables: pumpkin, grated green papaya, yardlong beans, eggplants, Thai eggplants
- 8 Thai chili peppers
- 3 cups boiling water[1]
Method
- Peel and slice the galangal, turmeric and ginger. Remove the thick center vein from the kaffir lime leaves and cut them into strips.
- Fry the paste ingredients in the oil over medium heat until lightly browned, about five minutes, then let them cool.
- Pound the fried mixture with a mortar and pestle into a smooth, even paste.
- Cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the palm sugar, letting it melt partly without burning.
- Add the prahok and mix well. Add the meat and sauté it until it is coated and slightly brown.
- Add the curry paste, then the fish sauce and salt, then all the vegetables and the chili peppers.
- Sprinkle in the ground roasted rice, then pour in the boiling water.
- Cover and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring gently from time to time.
- Serve on its own or with steamed white rice.[1]
196 Flavors calls the dish the Cambodian version of French ratatouille, and some cooks liken it to French pot-au-feu.[1]