Dish
Samlor Machu Trey
Clear coconut-free sour fish soup with tamarind, aromatics and garden vegetables.
Samlor machu trey (សម្លរម្ជូរត្រី, samlor machu trey) is a clear, coconut-free Cambodian sour fish soup with tamarind, aromatics and garden vegetables.[1][2] It is sour and savory, made with freshwater fish, tamarind, aromatics, vegetables and herbs, with pineapple and prahok as options.[1]
Cultural context
Samlor machu trey is everyday Khmer home cooking, made across Cambodia from whatever the day's market or the garden has to offer.[1] It is a dish for the family table rather than for restaurants or celebrations, and it appears at Cambodian Sunday lunches.[1] CambodgeMag sets it against amok, which is often kept for restaurants and special occasions. It also notes that the soup is little known outside Cambodia next to Vietnamese pho or Malaysian laksa.[1] The soup is popular in many Cambodian households.[3] OneVasco counts it among the most popular Khmer soups, eaten especially in rural homes and in villages along the Mekong River.[4]
Street vendors also ladle it from large pots at stalls near the riverside markets of Phnom Penh and the Old Market in Siem Reap. It is eaten as a light midday meal or a starter in the heat of the day.[2] It is served hot with steamed jasmine rice.[1][5]
Ingredients and preparation
The fish is usually a freshwater kind such as snakehead or catfish, cut into pieces and often cooked on the bone to enrich the broth.[1][5] Whole fish on the bone gives a richer broth than fillets.[1] The aromatic base is lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves, and tamarind pulp gives the sourness.[1][5] Tomatoes and sometimes pineapple go in as well.[1] The broth is light, tangy and a little sweet.[4] Its clean tartness cuts through the oils of the fish, and it balances sour and savory without much heat.[2]
CambodgeMag's recipe for four uses 600 grams (1.3 pounds) of snakehead or catfish, cleaned and cut into thick pieces, and 1.5 liters (about 6 cups) of water or light fish stock.[1] It adds three tablespoons of tamarind pulp soaked in warm water and strained, or tamarind paste. The aromatics are lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, garlic and shallots.[1] Two ripe tomatoes, a cup of pineapple if wanted, fresh red chilies, fish sauce and palm sugar follow, with a teaspoon of prahok as an option for a deeper, traditional taste.[1] The soup is finished with two cups of water spinach and Thai basil, cilantro and sawtooth herb.[1]
The aromatics simmer in the water or stock for about ten minutes. Tamarind and prahok, if used, are stirred in, and the sourness is adjusted to taste.[1] The fish cooks gently for about eight minutes. A rolling boil would make it less tender.[1] Tomatoes, pineapple and chili then simmer for five minutes, and the soup is tasted for its balance of sour, salty and sweet.[1] The water spinach cooks for one to two minutes, just until wilted, and the herbs are stirred in once the pot is off the heat.[1]
In another method, water is boiled with lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves, and the fish cooks in it for 10 to 15 minutes. Tamarind goes in next for another five minutes of simmering.[5] The soup is garnished with bean sprouts, green onions, cilantro, lime and fried garlic and served hot with rice.[5]
History and origins
FoodMap places the soup among Cambodian food traditions kept up across generations.[6] Khmer sour soups belong to a wider habit of balancing sweet, sour, salty and bitter tastes, with tamarind as one source of sourness.[5] They are also tied to Cambodia's farm produce and its blends of aromatic spices.[5]
Regional and household variations
Samlor machu names a whole category of sour soups rather than one fixed recipe, and it varies by region, family and season.[1] The fish may be snakehead, catfish or another freshwater kind.[1] Some families add pineapple for a sweeter edge, in a version sometimes called samlor machu youn. Others keep it strictly sour, lifted with fresh chili.[1] Prahok may be stirred in for depth, and the vegetables may include water spinach, tomatoes, cabbage or local herbs such as cilantro and Thai basil.[1]
Other versions add okra, bean sprouts, green onions or Asian basil, and chili peppers are often added for heat.[5] One version uses fish, garlic, lemongrass, celery, tamarind juice, bean sprouts and pineapple, seasoned with sugar, fish sauce and salt. Many cooks add fresh green herbs and hot chili on top before serving, and Hotels.com calls it easy to make.[3] Another uses Mekong fish, tamarind, pineapple and fresh herbs.[2] It may also be garnished with basil, sawtooth coriander and chili.[4] For people who avoid fish, tofu or another protein can replace it, although this departs from the traditional fish soup.[6]
Preparations and recipes
- CambodgeMag
- Bone-in freshwater fish poached in a tamarind broth with lemongrass, galangal, tomato and water spinach.
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 CambodgeMag, Samlor Machu Trey: The Sour Bowl That Defines Everyday Khmer Cooking (July 16, 2026)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Pack Lightly, Cambodian food and drinks guide (January 22, 2026)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hotels.com Go Guides, 8 Best Dishes in Cambodia (June 11, 2025)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 OneVasco Blog, Cambodia Famous Food: Popular Dishes & Local Cuisine (August 22, 2025)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Enjoy Vietnam Travel, Khmer sour soup: Four classic Cambodian recipes (August 25, 2026)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 FoodMap, Samlor Machu Trey (Sour fish soup)