Somlor Kako
Aka Khmer Jungle Stew
The Cambodian Somlor Korko recipe makes a hearty, healthy, unpretentious, stew-like soup.
Ingredients
- 3 stalks lemongrass
- 1 knob galangal
- 4-5 kaffir lime leaves
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 1 mild chilli
- 1 tbs turmeric powder/1 knob
- 1/2 cup pumpkin
- 1/2 cup eggplant
- 1/2 cup mushrooms
- 1/4 cup peas/snow peas
- 1 small carrot
- 1/4 cup ground roasted rice
- 2/3 cups green leafy vegetables, your preference
- Fish sauce, to season
- 1 tbs chicken bouillon
- 1 tbs palm sugar
- 1 tbs vegetable oil
- 1 tbs Prahok (fermented fish paste)
- 300g pork meat/belly/bones
- 1 to 1.5L of water
Method
- Finely slice galangal, garlic, chillies, lemongrass, turmeric and kaffir lime leaves, then pound in a mortal & pestle to make a fine paste (lemongrass paste Aka "Kreung").
- In a medium heat pan add 1/4 jasmine rice (or any rice you have), toast it until golden and grind into a fine-medium powder (Rice powder).
- In a large pot heat vegetable oil over low-medium heat then add lemongrass paste (Kreung) toast until aromatic. This usually takes 1-2 minutes.
- Add meat, prahok, Msg or chicken bouillon, palm sugar and ground rice powder and stir to coat rice with the meat. Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until meat is cooked while inbetween gradually adding water slowly, allow it to absorb into the rice powder to thicken the stock and cooking the meat.
- Add vegetables, starting with your hard vegetables ie: pumpkin/squash, eggplants, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, snowpeas, then your green leafy vegetables. In this case we have used spinach and wong bok (chinese cabbage).
- Season with fish sauce to your preference.
- Simmer until green leafy is softened, this usually takes around 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve with jasmine rice. Enjoy!
- Enjoy it with spice? You can add chopped red chillies in fish sauce and accompany it with this dish!
