Khmer Lok Lak #EatTheWorld

Before Evelyne of Cultureatz picked Cambodia for this months Eat the World theme I hadn't had the pleasure of eating anything Cambodian. Positioned in southeast Asia between Vietnam and Thailand Cambodia is home to Angkor Wot, "one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia".

Lok Lak is a Cambodian specialty boasting the most umami of any dish I have ever made. Everyone loved the seared meat with it's rich sauce cut by the delicious and tangy lime sauce. The ingredients list looks long but it's a ridiculously easy recipe. Sear the meat, add the sauce, and simmer.

I can't eat fish or oyster sauce because of food allergies so I had to replace those but I have noted the original in the recipe.

1.5 lb. London broil, sliced thin
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce (or regular oyster sauce)
1 tsp black pepper

1/3 c. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 c. water
2 tsp. cornstarch

3 Tbsp. Oil

1/4 c. lime juice
2 Tbsp. water
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. soy sauce (or fish sauce)
1/2 tsp. pepper

Salad greens
Cucumbers
Tomatoes 
Sliced red or green onions
Cooked rice

The night before combine the London broil, garlic, sugar, oyster sauce, and pepper in a large zipper sealed bag. Place in the fridge overnight to do it's magic. Also the night before I made the sauce so the flavors had a chance to meld better. 

Before cooking the beef, mix up the sauce by combining everything. Whisk until the cornstarch is mixed in and set aside.

Heat a large wok or skillet with oil, until extremely hot. Add the marinated beef all at once and leave to brown a bit. Cook until about 75% cooked though, just a bit of pink showing but not cooked all the way. Stir the sauce again, the cornstarch will have sunk to the bottom. Add the sauce to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce it thick. 

Plate the salad greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and meat. Top with green onions and serve with rice and lime dipping sauce.

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CulturEatz: Cambodian Green Mango Shrimp Salad
Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Somlar Machu Ktiss (Cambodian Hot and Sour Coconut Soup)  
Palatable Pastime: Grilled Cambodian Beef Sticks
Pandemonium Noshery: Khmer Lok Lak
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Loc Lac (Cambodian Beef with Lime)
Home Sweet Homestead: Cambodian Spring Rolls
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Aioan Chua Noeung Phset Kretni
Loreto and Nicoletta: Cambodian Tapioca Banana Pudding
Margaret: Traditional Cambodian Rice Flour Donuts
House of Nash Eats: Cambodian Chicken Red Curry [Somlar Kari Saek Mouan]

 
Check out all the wonderful Cambodian dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!