Samlor korko thnot - Young Palm Fruit Ratatouille

The Samlor Kokor is a signature of Cambodia. Eaten with rice, from the farmer to the urban families, this soup stew is part of our DNA. It is heartwarming, made from fresh vegetables and that we stir (kokor) until all ingredients are well mixed. Usually it is made of a vegetable-fruit combo including: green papaya, green banana, green jackfruit, young palm fruit, pumpkin, purple eggplant, long beans and pea eggplants. Here, we only used the young palm fruits. We eat the soup as a one-pot meal, served with steamed rice.

Ingredients

• 1kg catfish (trey chhlang - Mystus Nemerus; or trey andeng - Clarias Batrachus Linaeus)
• The fish can be replaced by quails ("kruoch", a favorite for Cambodians)
• 3 tbsp prahok
• 400g sliced young palm fruits
• 1 cup angkeadei
• 1 cup m'rum
• 2 cups m'reach
• a bunch of kantrup
• 3 leaves of kaffir lim

Kroeung

• 30 g of lemongrass sliced finely
• 1 piece of rhizome (size of a finger) cut in small pieces
• 1 piece of turmeric (size of a finger) cut in small pieces
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 shallots

Seasoning

• 1 cup of rice, roasted and ground
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp fish sauce

Preparation

1. Prepare the kroeung in grinding the lemongrass first; once well ground, add the rhizome, the turmeric and the garlic; once it is well ground and mixed, add the shallots and finalize the grinding.
2. Clean the fish and cut into 4 pieces.
3. Remove the leaves from the angkeadei and the m'rum stems and set aside.
4. Remove the m'reah leave and set aside to serve with the soup.
5. Fry the kroeung and the prahok in vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. When the oil turns green from the kroeung and the aroma is well developed, add the fish and half a cup of water and stir gently. Be careful not to untie the fish. Add the sliced palm fruits, the kaffir lime leaves, the roasted rice powder, still stirring then add another 5 or 6 cups of water.
6. Increase the heat to medium high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it bubbles, add the fish sauce, salt, the angkeadai and m'rum leaves, lower the heat and taste the soup. Add fish sauce and salt as needed. Remove from heat immediately.
7. Brush the kantrup over the flame about four times so the leaves burn slightly, then remove by running a thumb and index finger up the stem. Add to the soup just before serving.
8. Serve the soup with fresh m'reah leaves on the side.