cambodian cooking

The Cambodian curry paste called kroeung is an irreplaceable ingredient in Khmer cooking and yellow kroeung is the most versatile of the curry pastes, used in many classic Cambodian dishes, especially soups and dips.

Khmer Yellow Kroeung — Kroeung Samlor Machou Recipe

tbsp galangal (peeled and chopped finely)

kaffir lime zest

tsp turmeric (peeled and chopped finely)

garlic (peeled and chopped finely)

shallots (peeled and chopped finely)

Place the lemongrass in a well-supported mortar and pound with the pestle until you can no longer see the rings of the lemongrass and it's all mashed up.

Add the galangal, turmeric and kaffir lime zest and pound until they're incorporated into the mashed lemongrass.

Add the garlic and pound and then add the shallots and pound.

The finished paste will still have some fibres from the lemongrass but should otherwise be quite smooth.

This Cambodian green papaya salad recipe makes Cambodia’s Bok Lahong or Nhoam Lahong, a fragrant, crunchy pounded salad that’s a little funky, spicy, sour, salty, and sweet. Typically eaten as a late afternoon snack, and made to order, it has cousins in Laos (Tum Som), Thailand (Som Tum), and Vietnam (Gỏi Đủ Đủ).

Cambodian Green Papaya Salad Recipe

garlic (finely chopped)

2-3 bird’s eye chillies (finely chopped)

purple shallots (finely sliced)

tbsp fish sauce

tbsp liquid palm sugar –

tbsp lime juice

shrimp paste (optional)

shrimps

green papaya

carrot

cucumber

cherry tomatoes

herbs

peanuts

Throw the finely chopped bird’s eye chillies and garlic, finely sliced purple shallots, fish sauce, palm sugar, lime juice, and optional shrimp paste (only add this if you like funky flavours) into your big wooden mortar and pestle and pound until everything is well combined and soft and juicy. You don’t want the consistency of a spice paste so don’t go too far.

Soak your dried shrimps in a small dish of hot water for about ten minutes.

Prep all your fresh fruit and vegetables, grating, shredding or julienning your green papaya, carrot and cucumber, and slicing your cherry tomatoes in half, then pop the lot in a big salad bowl.

Wash and gently pat dry your fresh fragrant herbs – basil is essential, coriander and mint and also nice – pluck the basil and mint leaves from stalks, but leave some coriander sprigs in there. Add most to the salad bowl, leaving some to garnish.

Drain your dried shrimps and add half to the salad bowl, along with two tablespoons of peanuts, and the juicy dressing that you first pounded until soft. Gently combine everything together, using gloved hands.

Pile the salad onto a serving plate and then garnish with the remaining fresh herbs, dried shrimps, and peanuts, and serve immediately.

This banana flower salad recipe – also called a banana blossom salad recipe – makes the Cambodian banana flower salad called gnoam trayong chek in Khmer. Our banana flower salad includes poached chicken but you could make a vegetarian version. It’s super-easy, just work fast so your banana flower doesn’t brown.

Banana Flower Salad Recipe for Cambodia’s Gnoam Trayong Chek

chicken breasts (poached)

bird’s eye chillis (finely chopped)

lime juice

liquid

carrot (julienned)

shallot (finely sliced)

g bean sprouts (blanched)

lemons (juice only)

banana flower or banana blossom

fresh aromatic herbs – basil (mint, coriander (cilantro))

peanuts (roasted, peeled)

Poach the chicken breasts until they are cooked through, being careful not to over-cook them (use a thermometer), then set them aside to cool down.

Combine the finely chopped garlic, chillies, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar in a bowl to make the salad dressing. It should be balanced, so taste it and adjust if necessary. The chillies should give it a little bite but not dominate, so go easy even if you like your food spicy. Set aside.

Shred the chicken with your hands into two-bite sized pieces.

Julienne your carrots, slice the shallots, blanch the bean sprouts, and wash and dry your herbs and pluck the leaves from stems, and set aside.

Fill a large bowl, big enough to hold the banana flower with drinking quality water and add the juice of lime/lemon.

Pull off and discard the thick purple outer layers of the banana flower, keeping 2-4 of the prettiest petals to serve the salad in, as pictured above. Discard the tiny undeveloped bananas between the petals. Don’t attempt to taste these; they are very unpleasant. Once you reach the cream coloured petals, cut the banana flower in half lengthways, place one half in the water immediately, ensuring it’s fully submerged, before it starts to discolour. You need to work fast as it will go brown and then black quite quickly. Remove and discard the hard core then quickly slice the creamy leaves thinly, adding them to the water as you go, ensuring they’re submerged. Then do the same with the other half of the banana flower.

Gently combine everything together with gloved hands in a salad bowl, including half of the fresh herbs and half of the peanuts, adding the banana flower last. Add half of your dressing initially – you just want enough dressing to cover everything – then combine again, adding more dressing if needed. This should not be a wet salad.

Arrange your salad in the banana flower petals, garnish with the rest of the peanuts and fresh herbs, and then serve immediately.

I have a bunch of bananas on my banana palm, which had a flower to take off. I made it tonight and it was delicious! Reminded me of my trip to Vietnam in 2017, where I fell in love with banana flower salad. I didn't have any peanuts, so added cashews instead and I also added a small amount of vermicelli noodles. Thankyou for the recipe.

Hi! Found some blossoms at the local Asian market that were fresh so I had to make it as I always remember how pretty and colorful your photo was. It turned out delicious - the balance took a little work - but the crunch of the peanuts really made every mouthful delicious.
It's funny about the mortar and pestle - I remember from a cooking class in Northern Italy all the ladies used marble mortars and wooden pestles to not obliterate the basil for pesto!
Thanks for the recipe, it's a keeper - when you can find banana blossoms!

Top 3 cambodian cooking recipes from across the web

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Khmer Yellow Kroeung — Kroeung Saml...

Cambodian Green Papaya Salad Recipe

Banana Flower Salad Recipe for Camb...

Top 3 cambodian cooking recipes from across the web

The most viewed cambodian cooking recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Khmer Yellow Kroeung — Kroeung Saml...

Cambodian Green Papaya Salad Recipe

Banana Flower Salad Recipe for Camb...

The most viewed cambodian cooking recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine