Cambodian Beef: Top Local Dishes You Should Not Miss

The way to mix spices in each Cambodian dish has almost reached the peak that every chef or even a commoner can enjoy as an artist in the field of food. Cambodian people are also very fond of dishes made from beef. You can find Cambodian beef dishes in any restaurant or market in this country.

6 Most Popular Cambodian Beef Dishes

Let’s get through with a list of the six most popular Cambodian Beef dishes compiled by BestPrice Travel. This section will also allow you to learn about the ingredients and how to make these dishes at home.

1/ Lok Lak

Let’s get on with Lok Lak – a Cambodian specialty when you set foot in this country. The ingredients of this dish include thinly sliced beef, then sautéed with onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes. This dish can be served with rice and fried eggs to increase protein and make people feel more appetized.

Lok Lak

How to Cook Cambodian Beef Lok Lak

- Step 1: Mix beef chunks with oyster sauce, sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, ground black pepper, and minced garlic in a large bowl and marinate for at least 20 minutes before cooking.

- Step 2: Cook jasmine rice for 30 minutes

- Step 3: Mix ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl.

- Step 4: Take sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions for garnish on a serving plate.

- Step 5: Place lettuce leaves on a separate plate.

- Step 6: Stir-fry the marinated beef until ready to eat and remove to the prepared plate

- Step 7: Fry two eggs sunny side up and enjoy right after.

Best Places to Eat Lok Lak

- Price: Around US $4

2/ Ongkrong Saek Koo

Ongkrong Saek Koo is a prevalent dish of beef stir-fried with red ants in Cambodia. At first glance, it may seem "unique" and somewhat "scary" to many people, but it is inevitable that once you have tried this dish, you may be "addicted" right after.

You can feel the soft sweetness of well-seasoned beef, a slightly sour taste due to secretions from the red ant's stomach, and the aroma that blends with the signature flavor of the Khmer.

Ongkrong Saek Koo

How to Cook Ongkrong Saek Koo

- Step 1: Marinate beef with ginger, lemongrass, garlic, and spices such as fish sauce, salt, seasoning, and pepper for 20 minutes.

- Step 2: Clean weaver ants and weaver ant larvae to remove dirt and soil.

- Step 3: Stir-fry the beef over high heat for about 3 minutes, then add the weaver ants and sauté until the beef is cooked through, or the beef is just rare, depending on your preference. Don't forget to add chili to give the dish a characteristic spicy taste.

- Step 4: Plate, garnish and enjoy immediately.

Best Places to Eat Ongkrong Saek Koo

- Price: Around US $5

3/ Sach Ko Ang

Sach Ko Ang, also known as Grilled lemongrass beef, is a popular dish on every street corner in Cambodia. This dish has the typical taste of a unique Cambodian spice, kroeung. Although this Cambodian beef dish often has a slightly spicy flavor, the sweetness of beef and the accompanying spices make it delicious for diners.

Sach Ko Ang

Ingredient

• 450g beef
• Turmeric powder: 7g
• Lemongrass: 2 stalks
• Galangal: 15g
• 3 clove garlic
• 2 Thai chilis
• Sugar: 30g
• Chicken bouillon: 30g
• Oyster sauce: 30g
• Fish sauce: 15g
• Black pepper: 7g
• Vegetable oil: 30g

How to Cook Sach Ko Ang

Step 1: Prepare kroeung

- Slice the galangal and lemongrass, peeled garlic and set aside the chili and lime leaves.

- Grind lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, and garlic

- Add chili and turmeric and continue grinding the mixture.

Step 2: Prepare beef

- Cut the beef into thin strips so that the beef can cook evenly

- Marinate beef with fish sauce, oyster sauce, chicken seasoning powder, vegetable oil, and black pepper.

- Add the kroeung mixture and mix until evenly coated.

- Marinate the beef for at least an hour in the refrigerator.

Step 3: Grill the beef skewers

- When all the beef skewers are ready, preheat the grill to medium heat and place the skewers on the grill.

- Water the beef skewers for about 10 minutes or until slightly charred edges.

- Place the grilled beef on a plate and enjoy.

Best Places to Eat Sach Ko Ang

Price: Around US $1/skewer

4/ Plea Sach Ko

Plea Sach Ko is a Cambodian beef salad with the sweet and succulent taste of beef and the crispiness of bell peppers and radish. You can enjoy this on its own or with rice, perfect for lunch and dinner. This is a popular dish in almost restaurants across Cambodia.

Plea Sach Ko

Ingredients:

• 450g loin beef
• 2 Limes
• Assorted Mints
• 1 Thai Green Eggplant
• Cilantro
• 50g ground Roasted Rice
• 50g crushed Roasted Peanuts
• 50g Palm Sugar
• 50g Fish Sauce
• 30g Anchovy Sauce

How to Cook Plea Sach Ko

Step 1: Cut the beef and remove the fatty tissue. Thinly slice the beef into bite-sized pieces.

Step 2: Squeeze 2 lemons over beef and mix well.

Step 3: Add chili to the beef mixture.

Step 4: Marinate beef for about 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Step 5: Making sauce: Put the fish sauce, jaggery, and anchovy fish sauce in a bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Step 6: Pour the sauce over the marinated beef and mix well.

Step 7: Add vegetables and mints, peanuts, and roasted rice to the beef to enhance the flavor.

Best Places to Eat Plea Sach Ko

Price: Around US $3

5/ Kha Sach Ko

This dish has the characteristic taste of jaggery, which is caramelized into a sticky syrup, which is then used as the base of the dish. This beefy version has a rather complex flavor, although its recipe isn't terribly complicated. Each family has its own recipe, but most start with "Kha" and include galangal, chili, garlic, black pepper, and star anise.

Kha Sach Ko

Ingredients

• 620 grams of beef
• 100 grams of palm sugar
• 7g chicken flavor soup base mix
• 7g tsp black pepper
• 15g salt
• 30g garlic fresh or fried
• Other spices: galangal, chili, and star anise.

How to Cook Kha Sach Ko

Step 1: Pre-boil the beef for 3 minutes.

Step 2: Boil a part of the water in a pot, then add salt and chicken flavor soup base mix and cook with beef. When boiling, you need to remove the foam so that the broth is clearer.

Step 3: It would help if you took it out when the beef has absorbed the seasoning. Then, save some of the broth.

Step 4: Caramelize the sugar and add the garlic when the sugar is completely melted. Then add pepper and stir in the beef.

Step 5: Stir the sugar around until the beef is fully coated.

Step 6: Add broth add the anise, and cook over low heat for 4-5 hours.

Step 7: After the beef is done stewing, you can serve it with rice or other vegetables.

Best Places to Eat Plea Sach Ko

- Price: Around US $5

6/ Kwah Ko

Kwah Ko or Cambodian Sausage is made from pork or beef. This dish can be easily found at any market or restaurant in Cambodia. Sausage has a slightly sour taste because it contains rice and is dried in the sun. Therefore, dishes taste better if you fry or grill them before serving.

Kwah Ko

Ingredients

• 5 kg of beef or pork
• 115g of leftover rice
• 60g of minced galangal
• 60g of minced garlic
• 50g of oyster sauce
• 15g of chilies for spicy twa ko (optional)
• 50g of fish sauce
• 15g of Nam powder
• 15g of Chinese BBQ pork seasoning

How to Make Kwah Ko

Step 1: Mix all the prepared ingredients together (except the rice), then add the rice at the end to prevent the rice from sticking

Step 3: Stuff the mixed mixture into the pork skin and roll it into tiny links

Step 4: Place the sausages on a rack and dry them for a few hours in the sun.

Step 5: Store Kwah Ko in the freezer for later use.

Best Places to Eat Kwah Ko

Price: Around US $1

Beef is one of the ingredients that make up Cambodians' unique and favorite dishes. They have unique ways of preparing beef that you rarely find in other countries. Hopefully, this article will bring you helpful information. Hop in BestPrice Travel's trips to Cambodia to enjoy the specialties of Cambodia.

Vân Anh

(Image source: Internet)