Thin strips of beef marinated overnight in lemongrass kroeung, fish sauce and palm sugar, threaded tightly onto skewers and charred over coals until smoky and caramelised, then served with pickles or tucked into baguette.
Known in Khmer as sach ko ang, these lemongrass beef skewers are a fixture of Cambodian street corners and markets, where vendors fan charcoal grills from dawn into the night. Eaten on their own with tart pickled vegetables or slid off the stick into a French-legacy baguette, they capture the smoky, herbal heart of Khmer grilling.
The edges turn lacquered and smoky-sweet while the centre stays tender and dripping with lemongrass juice. Each bite is savoury, faintly caramelised and lifted by the bright crunch of pickled vegetables alongside.
The overnight marinade lets salt and acid penetrate the thin strips while palm sugar primes the surface for caramelisation. Bunching the meat tightly on the skewer keeps the interior moist as the exposed edges char fast over high direct heat.
Variations
Made with pork or chicken, served with pickled vegetables, honey-glazed version, slid into num pang baguette
On the Palate
Where Khmer Beef Skewers sits in the Cambodian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 25 min
- 18 min
Pound lemongrass, garlic, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and turmeric into a paste.
- 22 min
Mix the paste with fish sauce, oyster sauce, palm sugar and a little oil to form a marinade.
- 35 min
Slice the beef thinly across the grain into long, narrow strips.
- 4240 min
Coat the beef in the marinade and refrigerate at least four hours, ideally overnight.
Watch outMarinate at least four hours, overnight is better — that's the time the salt and sour need to work deep into the thin strips.
- 55 min
Soak wooden skewers in water, then thread the beef on lengthwise, bunching it tightly.
Watch outBunch the meat tight on the skewer — packed close, the inside stays juicy while the edges char.
- 63 min
Heat a grill to high and oil the grates well.
- 77 min
Grill the skewers, turning every couple of minutes, until charred outside but still juicy inside.
Watch outTurn every couple of minutes over high heat — you want charred edges with the center still juicy, so don't walk away.
- 82 min
Serve hot with pickled vegetables, fresh herbs or baguette.
