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Samlor prahal (Cambodian soup)

A bowl of Cambodian soup

Samlor prahal (Cambodian soup)

Name: Samlor prahal (Cambodian soup)
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 tbsp neutral oil; 1 long shallot thinly sliced; ground to make 1 tbsp white Kampot peppercorns; 15g dried shrimp; 1.5 litres chicken or fish stock; 50g lemongrass bashed; 240g winter melon or courgette chopped; 320g coconut blossom cut into chunks; 320g river fish fillets (such as bream, pike or brown trout) cut into chunks; 10g palm sugar or soft dark brown sugar; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 20g toasted rice powder; 80g fresh herbs (such as om, wild asparagus, coriander or Vietnamese mint)

Luu Meng

Published: April 27, 2021 at 5:30 PM

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Serves 4

Easy

Total time: 1 hr and 30 mins

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Luu Meng, head chef of Malis restaurant in Phnom Penh, shares his Cambodian soup recipe – "it puts you in a good mood, and is a traditional hangover cure!"

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Try this Cambodian soup recipe from Phnom Penh-based chef Luu Meng. Luu says, "Samlor means soup and in Cambodia we eat a lot of soup dishes. This recipe is very healthy, cooked with freshwater fish, fresh herbs and lots of vegetables such as winter melon (you can swap in courgette). It puts you in a good mood, and is a traditional hangover cure! Everyone loves it, children and adults. The base is chicken or fish stock and lemongrass. It’s cooked slowly, the shallots fried with dry shrimp powder, coconut palm hearts and a herb called om, which tastes like wild asparagus (which is different from farm-grown asparagus). You can make it with kroeung or a clear version. People from the mountains and coast cook this dish with kroeung but those near rivers prefer to eat it clear, with less lemongrass. It has a sweet, natural taste from the fresh fish and vegetables."

This is a recipe that Luu shared as part of his guide to Cambodian cuisine. Check it out to learn about Cambodian coffee culture, amok, the country's national dish, slow-cooked noodle soup and more.

When Luu was a boy, he helped his mother in her noodle shop in Phnom Penh. That’s where he learnt about noodles, flavourings and how to make a broth. She and his grandmother, a chef in the royal palace, gave Luu his love of cooking. He went to cookery school in Thailand before working in Singapore and Malaysia, but he was drawn back to his roots. He travelled Cambodia, exploring regional dishes and lost recipes. Luu wanted to revive and refine traditional Khmer cuisine. Modern Cambodian food is a combination of native Khmer traditions infused with French, Indian and Chinese influences.

Luu's recipe tip: "If you can’t get hold of coconut blossom, then tinned banana blossom will work well in its place."