Samlor Machu Kreung

Medium·25 min

A robust sour soup built on a pounded lemongrass kroeung paste and a spoonful of fermented prahok, soured with tamarind and loaded with meat and vegetables for a deeply aromatic, brothy main.

Samlor machu kreung belongs to the heart of Khmer home cooking, where the day begins by pounding kreung in a stone mortar until the kitchen fills with the scent of lemongrass and galangal. Cambodian families have leaned on this sour, prahok-deepened soup for generations as the everyday companion to a mound of steamed rice.

The broth hits sour and savoury at once, with lemongrass and galangal humming beneath a funky, briny depth from the prahok. The meat is tender, the vegetables soak up the kroeung, and a wash of tamarind keeps every spoonful bright.

Sauteing the kroeung in oil before adding liquid toasts its aromatics and dissolves them into the fat, carrying flavour throughout the broth. Prahok supplies glutamates for savoury depth while tamarind's acidity balances the palm sugar and lifts the whole soup.

Variations

Made with beef, pork ribs or chicken, fish version for a lighter broth, vegetables vary by season including pumpkin, eggplant and water spinach

On the Palate

Where Samlor Machu Kreung sits in the Cambodian flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 4

3 stalksLemongrass

1 thumbGalangal

1 tsp fresh, gratedTurmeric

How it's made

8 steps · 25 min

1
8 min
Pound lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves, garlic and shallots into a fragrant kroeung paste.
2
4 min
Heat oil in a pot and saute the kroeung until it darkens and smells intensely aromatic.
Watch out
Fry the kroeung in oil until it darkens a shade and the raw sharpness gives way to a deep, toasty fragrance — that's when it's cooked out.
3
4 min
Add the pork ribs or beef and stir until every piece is coated and lightly browned.
4
4 min
Stir in prahok, fish sauce, tamarind and palm sugar, simmering a few minutes to bloom the flavours.
Watch out
Simmer the prahok and tamarind a few minutes to bloom before the water goes in — this cooks off the raw funk and rounds the sour-sweet.
5
4 min
Pour in water and bring to a gentle boil, skimming any foam from the surface.
6
10 min
Add the firmer vegetables such as eggplant and long beans and simmer until tender.
7
4 min
Drop in water spinach and chilies near the end, cooking just until the greens soften.
Watch out
Drop the water spinach and chilies in only at the end and pull them the moment they wilt — overcooked, the greens go drab and slimy.
8
2 min
Taste and balance with more fish sauce, sugar or tamarind, then finish with fresh holy basil.