Cambodian recipe
How to make Samlor machu
សម្លម្ជូរ
All of Cambodia, a family of sour soups
Sour soups made tangy with tamarind and filled with fish, chicken, pork or beef and vegetables such as pineapple, tomato, water spinach and lotus stems. A light sour soup is part of almost every family meal.
Ingredients
- 500 g white fish fillets or chicken thighs, in bite-sized pieces
- 1.2 litres water or light stock
- 3 tablespoons tamarind paste
- 2 stalks lemongrass, cut in lengths and bruised
- 200 g fresh pineapple, in chunks, and 2 tomatoes, cut in wedges
- A handful of water spinach or ordinary spinach
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce and 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
- Fresh herbs such as rice paddy herb, coriander or basil, and fried garlic to finish
Method
- Bring the water to the boil with the lemongrass and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tamarind paste, fish sauce and sugar. Taste: it should be clearly sour, a little salty and only slightly sweet.
- Add the pineapple and tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the fish or chicken and cook gently until done, about 5 minutes for fish and 10 for chicken.
- Add the spinach for the last minute. Serve in a big bowl in the middle of the table with rice, topped with herbs and fried garlic.
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