Prahok Ktis Recipe – coconut cream fermented fish and pork dip
Prahok Ktis is a traditional Cambodian dish that features prahok, a fermented fish paste, as a key ingredient. It is often prepared as a flavorful dip or condiment. Here’s a general overview of the dish:
1. Ingredients: – Prahok: Fermented fish paste, a common ingredient in Cambodian cuisine. – Pork: Typically minced or ground. – Coconut cream: Adds richness to the dish. – Kroeung: A paste made from a variety of aromatic herbs and spices.
2. Preparation: – Pork is cooked and combined with prahok to create a savory base. – Coconut cream is added to enhance the richness and smoothness of the mixture. – Kroeung, the herb and spice paste, contributes to the distinctive flavor profile.
3. Usage: – Prahok Ktis is often served as a dip or accompaniment to fresh vegetables, rice, or other side dishes. – It can be used to add depth and umami to various Cambodian dishes.
4. Flavor Profile: – The dish is known for its strong, pungent flavor due to prahok, which mellows with the addition of other ingredients. – It offers a unique combination of savory, spicy, and aromatic elements.
Prahok Ktis showcases the bold and complex flavors inherent in Cambodian cuisine, making it a staple in the region’s culinary heritage.
Prahok Ktis Recipe – coconut cream fermented fish and pork dip
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork here I mixed with ½ pork belly
- ½ – 1 cup pea eggplants
- 2-3 tbsp large pepper paste or paprika
- 3-4 tbsp cooking oil
- 1-1.5 tbsp sugar or palm sugar if available
- 3-4 tbsp kroeung lemongrass paste—checkout my video tutorial on this
- 2 tbsp prahok fermented fish paste
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- ½ tsp msg optional or use chicken bouillon
- 1 can coconut milk or cream 400 ml
- a pinch of salt
- 5 kaffir lime leaves julienne
- ½ – 1 bulb garlic roasted
- Hot chili peppers to taste
- Some lime wedges to taste
Instructions
- Start by sautéing the pea eggplants, and optional hot peppers and garlic (i would use a bulb of garlic but I ran out though).
- Chop mince the pork. Save your time and just get ground pork with some fat. And you don’t need to sauté the meat first, I only did this because I wanted to brown the pork skin, so I ended up cooking all the pork.
- Then mince some large red peppers into a paste (or you can use paprika) and make one stalk lemongrass paste, kroeung. I had some pre made frozen kroeung, you can also check my video on this.
- Using the same pot, add 3-4 tablespoons oil, the pepper paste and lemongrass paste. Add one tablespoon palm sugar or just regular sugar.
- Add pork, 2 tablespoons prahok, 1 tsp fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon beejeng (msg) or chicken bouillon, 1 can coconut milk or cream, some julienne kaffir lime leaves, and lastly the sautéed pea eggplant, garlic, pepper. As always, adjust to your taste.
- Squeeze in some lime if you like, and enjoy it with your choice of crispy or steamed veggies.
