Sunday Dinner 11/4/12 - Cooking Khmer

Trey kho chnay - Caramelized catfish
Bai lieng chia mui sach chrouk - Fried rice with pork and vegetables
Sach ko luc lac - Marinated beef salad

This week I wanted to take a break from cooking Italian or other European-style recipes and try something with a totally different flavor palate. I was inspired by one of my best friends who's family immigrated from Cambodia after the devastating genocide that happened in there in the late 70's. Nearby Lowell, Massachusetts has the second highest population of Cambodians in the country and as a result of that there are some pretty fantastic restaurants exclusive to the area that show off traditional ethnic Khmer cuisine. After being treated to one such a few weeks back I decided to try my hand and see what I could pull off. I normally don't venture off to the recipes of Latin America or Asia, for some reason I don't have as good "kitchen-sense" and am often disappointed with the results. However the mainstays of Cambodian cooking are tenets that are very familiar (simple recipes dependent on the freshness and quality of their ingredients) and gave me confidence to extend out in to this new world of food.

Trey kho chnay - Caramelized catfish

I love this dish and whenever I order out at a Vietnamese, or in this case, Khmer restaurant this is at the top of my list. The sweet sauce goes so well with braised catfish, which is a fish that gets little love here in the northeast.

Caramel sauce
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water

Melt sugar over high heat in a saucepan until completely dissolved. At the same time heat water to almost boiling. Once sugar is dissolved remove from heat and slowly add water. The sugar bubbles crazily when you add the water, so you can only put a little in at a time. After all of the water has been added, put over medium-high heat and bring back to a low boil. Once heated to boil, remove from heat and set aside.

Marinade
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

I had a whole, fresh catfish cut in to steaks so that the flavor of the dish could benefit from braising with the fish bones and head. It must be noted that I did not remove the pin bones, which in the future I would definitely do, otherwise it makes a messy meal. I rinsed and cleaned the steaks and placed in marinade for an hour, flipping once so both sides got coated.

Stew
1 vidalia onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves
Caramel sauce
Catfish

To make the stew, first the catfish steaks where browned in a dutch oven to get a nice, crisp crust on the all over, then removed from heat and set aside. Next the onion slices were added and sauteed gently until translucent. Garlic was next and cooked for about five more minutes. Add the catfish back in, then cover with the caramel sauce. Baked in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes, flipping once.

Bai lieng chia mui sach chrouk - Fried rice with pork and vegetables

I figured any trip to an Asian-influenced dinner would be incomplete without a fried rice dish. This was incredibly easy and satisfying to make!

1 lb lean pork cut in to 1/2" cubes
1 1/2 cups sweet peas, fresh or frozen
1 carrot, diced
1 yellow onion, cubed
10 okra, sliced 1/2" pieces
6 cups jasmine rice, cooked
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup sugar
Black pepper and chili sauce to taste
Oil for frying

This recipe frequently uses leftover pork from previous meals, so I seasoned the pork with a Chinese five-spice and sugar mix before browning the pieces in oil in a large pot. Once browned, remove from heat and set aside. Next saute carrots until fork tender, then add in onion, okra, and peas and saute for 5 minutes. Add pork. Add cooked rice and seasonings and continue to saute over high heat until completely mixed.



Sach ko luc lac - Marinated beef salad

1 1/2 lb flank steak, sliced thinly
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp chili sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced

Salad and dressing

1 head romaine lettuce
2 tomatoes, cut in to chunks
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 vidalia onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp water
Sugar and black pepper to taste

Marinade the beef slices for one hour. Prepare salad. Stir fry steak over high heat until reached desired doneness (rare, medium-rare is great for flank which can seize up and toughen if cooked too long)

My Khmer sidekick unfortunately was unavailable to preside as judge over my interpretation of these recipes, but the dishes were well received and I am very happy with the results. Going to have to come back to these and looking forward to trying some new Khmer recipes in the future.