Cambodia

 Welcome to Cambodia!  the population is around 15.55 million people, and the capital is Phnom Penh.  The national dish is...

Samlor Kako!

It is a soup that has a curry base.  It was a bit challenging, as I made my own curry paste.  Finding some of the ingredients was a challenge!  I thought that a warm soup on a cool autumn day sounded great.  It didn't disappoint!  Here's what I did:

SAMLOR KAKO

Khmer Curry Paste

3 oz galangal

2 oz fresh ginger

2 oz fresh turmeric

3 oz lemongrass, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 shallots, finely chopped

10 kaffir lime leaves

4 tbsp avocado oil

Samlor Kako

2 tsp avocado oil

2 tbsp palm sugar, finely chopped

1 tbsp shrimp paste (original recipe called for fish paste - I couldn't find it)

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp Khmer curry paste

1 lb chicken, cut into large pieces

3 lbs assorted veggies (I used Kabocha squash, grated green papaya, green beans, Thai eggplant)

6 Thai chili peppers

6 C boiling water

For the Khmer curry:

1. Peel the galangal by scraping it with a knife and cut into thin strips (I learned this is a GREAT way to peel galangal!!!)
2. Peel turmeric and ginger, and cut into strips.
3. Remove the thick center vein from the kaffir leaves and cut them into thin strips.
4. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat and fry all the ingredients until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
5. Put the mixture in a food processor until a thick paste.

For the Samlor Kako

1. Cut all the veggies into pieces.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the palm sugar.  Stir the sugar quickly until it is partially dissolved - do not burn.
3. Add the shrimp paste and mix well.
4. Add the meat, stir, and sauté the meat until it is coated and slightly brown in color.
5. Add the Khmer curry paste and stir to combine.
6. Add the fish sauce and salt.
7. Add the veggies and peppers, and mix well.
8. Add boiling water.
9. Stir, cover, and cook for about 25 minutes over medium heat.
10. Serve with steamed rice, if desired.

(Source: Samlor Kako)

The verdict?  This was very good.  However, while cooking it, it smelled terrible.  I would recommend leaving a window open.  Thankfully it tasted NOTHING like it smelled.  It took a long time to peel and cut all the veggies, so do that ahead of time!  The squash we used was a sweet squash, and it was very good in the soup.  Be careful of the Thai peppers - they look very similar to green beans!  We did try it with rice, but it really didn't add much to the dish.  It was a great, fall, comforting soup standing on its own.  I would add more chicken next time as well.  Overall, we really enjoyed this soup!

ME

Taste of Samlor Kako (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 1

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 8

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Samlor Kako (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 2

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

Another down!  Join us next time in Kyrgyzstan!