For my love of Kroeung I do try to create new dishes utilizing this fragrant spice mixture. However, Cambodian Lemongrass Stuffed Game Hen isn’t so new since I’ve shared with you my recipe for Cambodian Grilled Lemongrass Chicken, សាច់ម៉ាន់អាំងប្រឡាក់គ្រឿង (Sach Mon Arng Prolak Kroeung) and Cambodian Stuffed Chicken Wings, ស្លាបម៉ាន់បោក (Slab Mon Baok) in previous post. What’s new in this recipe is the ingredients I used to make the stuffing. It might sound like too much to accompany rice but then the thought of stuffed turkey with mash potatoes and gravy all in one meal came into mind. That isn’t much right? Come to think about it if I have a date this Thanksgiving this might just be the ideal Cambodian Thanksgiving Dinner or two.

I decided to go with mushroom and bean thread noodles as the stuffing. These two ingredients works like a sponge and will soak up all the flavorful juices. They do not take long to cook which is perfect since game hen are fairly small and doesn’t require long roasting time. Enoki mushroom was used because that’s what I had sitting in my fridge at the moment. It’s also very affordable at only $0.49 a package! You can definitely upgrade to fresh shitaki or king oysters mushroom if you want.

Cambodian Lemongrass Stuffed Cornish Game Hen (make 2 servings)
(Mon Doat Ngort Kroeung) មាន់ដុតញាត់គ្រឿង

Ingredients
1½ lb cornish game hen with giblets inside removed
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon white pepper powder
1 teaspoon cayenne or paprika pepper powder, optional
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons Khmer Kroeung
1 pkg (3.5oz) enoki mushrooms, cut off bottom 1½-2 inch and rinse gently. Squeeze excess water.
1 bunch bean thread noodles, it comes in the pink netting (glass noodles), soak in warm water until soften
1 cup holy basil leaves
2 toothpick
leafy green for garnish

Method:
Rinse Cornish game hen thoroughly inside and out. Pat dry with kitchen towel and set aside.

To make the marinade combine brown sugar, fish sauce, white pepper powder, paprika (if using), sesame oil and Kroeung in a bowl. Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of the marinade and pour it on the Cornish game hen then rub all over. Tip: Put the chicken inside a freezer bag and pour the marinade on top. Use you hand and rub the marinade on the chicken from the outside of the freezer bag.

To make the stuffing add mushroom, bean thread and holy basil leaves into the remainder of the marinade and mix well.

Cover the chicken and allow to marinade in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight. Cover the stuffing and store it in the fridge until it’s time to roast.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Stuff the chicken with the prepared stuffing and use toothpicks to sew the skin together so that it does not spill out during roasting. One diagonally and one across.

Place the breast side down on a rack and roast for 30 minutes. Then​ carefully flip to roast on the other side for another 20 minutes or until the juices run clear when you pierce the inner thigh with a fork. For a crispy golden brown skin crank up the heat to 450 degrees and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Remove and tent with foil. This is extremely important if you want a tender juicy meat. If you start cutting through now the meat is still hot and the juices will just flow out. You don’t want a dry meat do you? Be patient and let it rest for 15 minutes or so. In the meantime you can clean up or set the table.

Split in half to reveal the mouthwatering stuffing and arrange on a platter with some garnish.

Serve with hot steam rice and some soup. ENJOY!

I went to watch the Superbowl at my Sister’s house last weekend. My Mother sent back with me a couple package of prepared fish paste to post in the store (coming soon). These are prepared fish paste which has some of the basic spices and herbs in there already however, you can still mix your own flavors into them. I’ve added the Khmer Kroeung (lemongrass paste) to make ប្រហិតត្រីទ្រង់គ្រឿង Pa’het Trey Troong Kroeung or Lemongrass Fish Cake with a kick.  You can also add chop green beans and green onions for a whole new flavor and texture.  Since Valentine’s Day is around the corner I got a bit festive and shape my fish cakes into hearts. This is totally optional of course. Follow along as I will be using my Mother’s prepared fish paste in a variety of recipes coming soon .

Cambodian Lemongrass Fish Cakes (makes 15)
(Pa’het Trey Troong Kroeung) ប្រហិតត្រីទ្រង់គ្រឿង

Ingredients
1 cup prepared fish paste (available in my store soon)
1/3 cup Khmer Kroeung (lemongrass paste)
1 tablespoon red pepper powder, optional
oil for frying
Cucumber relish, see recipe
cilantro for garnish
shape cookie cutter, optional
a sheet of wax paper 8×10

Method:
In a bowl add fish paste and Khmer Kroeung (lemongrass paste).  Combine and mix well. Set aside for about 30 minutes.

To form the shape of your choice, just scope out a tablespoon of fish paste and fill it inside the shape cutter using a back of a small spoon to press it evenly.  Lay it on a sheet of wax paper to avoid it from sticking. You can also roll it into a ball and press it flat between your palms like a patty. Add  a pinch of red pepper powder to the center (one side) for an extra kick, optional.

Heat oil in a pan on high but reduce is back to medium for a minute before adding the patties. They cook up very fast so watch carefully. Fry until golden brown on both sides.

Serve with my cucumber relish or pickled carrots & daikon. Makes great appetizers or enjoy with steam rice for a complete meal.

Now, let’s get back to cooking. Here is another recipe that I adapt from The Elephant Walk Cookbook. I haven’t had this in a very long time, like more than 10 years! I think one of the reason was because I was too lazy to make my own Khmer Kroeung. Thanks to my Mother I now have an endless supply of  Khmer Kroeung.

This soup gives off a very fragrant aroma when cooked and very rich and flavorful. One might refer to this soup as Pineapple Curry due to the use of coconut milk.  But the resulting taste  is  more on the sour and spicy side. The Kroeung along with the pungent pahok (pickle-fish) and shrimp paste helped balance the sweetness from the coconut milk and pineapple.  Serve it up with lots of hot steamy rice. It is delicious! When the coconut milk was first combined with the Kroeung it reminded me of the broth used to ladle over Cambodian fresh noodles topped with assorted vegetables known as Num Baingjok.

Cambodian Sour Soup with Coconut Milk & Pineapple
(Somlaw Machew Ktiss Manoss) សម្លរម្ចូរខ្ទៈម្នាស់
adapt from The Elephant Walk Cookbook

Ingredients
1-1.5 lb pork (shoulder, butt, spare ribs), cut into fairly large chunks
1 cup coconut milk unsweetened
2 cups water
1 can (16 oz) pineapple chunks in natural juices
½ cup Khmer Kroeung (lemongrass paste)
1 teaspoon pahok (pickle-fish), grounded
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind soup base (powder)
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
red chili to garnish (optional)

Method:
Heat a pot and add ½ cup coconut milk. Stir and cook until the oil starts to separate. Add Khmer Kroeung, stir often until the flavors are release. The aroma is heavenly!

Add meat along with sugar, fish sauce, shrimp paste and pahok. Cook for 5 minute.

Add the remainder coconut milk, water and tamarind soup base (powder). Give it a quick stir to incorporate them together and bring to a boil. Cover partly and simmer on medium for about 30-45 minutes until the meats are tender.

About 15 minutes before it is done add the pineapple chunks and torn kaffir lime leaves.

Garnish with chili and serve hot with lots of steamed rice.

Does anybody else feels that this week went by fast? Probably because of Labor Day Holiday on Monday. My siblings came to visit and spend the night during the holiday. With them my Mother also sent me a big pot of my favorite Cambodian herb the holy basil (Maress Prov). I love that stuff! In addition, I also got some more Lemongrass Paste (Kroeung) which I am now offering for sale. Now that I have all my ingredients in place it’s time for me to share with you how I make one of my most favorite Cambodian dish which is this Fiery Stir Fry Lemongrass Quail (Cha Kdov (Kroeung) Krouch) ឆារគ្រឿង(ក្តៅ)ក្រួច. It is soooo delicious! These quails were finely chopped (grounded) into very small pieces bone and all. You can substitute with ground chicken but make sure to cook until the liquid evaporate to avoid a soggy stir fry. If you can get holy basil, I definitely recommend it otherwise use Thai basil instead.

My recipe is for 4-5 servings as I plan to enjoy it several times. Yeah, it’s that good that I don’t mind having leftovers another 2-3 times. Oh and for drinkers, it’s great with alcohol drinks.

Fiery Stir-Fried Lemongrass Quail
(Cha Kdov (Kroeung) Krouch) ឆារគ្រឿង(ក្តៅ)ក្រួច

Ingredients
6 quails, finely chopped (ground)
½ cup lemongrass paste (now available for sale)
10 jalapeños, sliced lengthwise (adjust amount to taste)
1 tablespoon finely chopped Pahok (optional)
1 bunch of holy basil leaves
1 tablespoon tamarind soup base
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce

Method:
Heat a pan and fry the lemongrass and pahok (if using) until fragrant. Add (ground) chopped quails and continue to stir fry until they are cook. It will be dry but that’s okay.

Next add jalapeños and season with tamarind soup base, sugar and fish sauce. Quickly stir to combine the ingredients. Taste and adjust to your preference. Turn the heat off and add holy basil leaves. Give it a final stir and transfer to a serving dish. Serve with hot steamy rice.

Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken

Yesterday I mentioned about my Mother making some Cambodian Lemongrass Paste (Kroeung) for me (available for sale here).  Today I used this Kroeung to make a tasty Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken ឆាគ្រឿងសាច់ម៉ាន់ (Cha Kroeung Sach Mon). I am making this with a bit of variation. For example the real Cha Kroeung uses Holy Basil ម្រះព្រៅ (Maress Prov). I only have Thai Basil and Sweet Basil growing in my garden this year so that’s what I’m using. I don’t know about others but I normally make this with ground meat as I feel that the flavors really penetrates through the ground meat more. But as you can see in the picture I did not ground my chicken. I was in a hurry.   The jalapenos and onion are also optional. You can substitute bell peppers or leave them out completely if you don’t like them. Also to truly make it authentic Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken add some pahok sauce to it. You don’t have to if you don’t like the taste or smell of pahok sauce.

Cambodian Lemongrass Chicken Ingredients

Ingredients
2 chicken breast, cut into bite size
6 jalapenos, slice into long sticks (remove seeds – optional)
1 medium onion, slice
1 cup of Cambodian Lemongrass Paste
1 cup basil leaves
4 tablespoons pahok sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon sugar
3-4 tablespoon fish sauce (adjust to taste)

Method:
Bring a pan to med-high heat and add the chicken. Cook chicken thoroughly then remove and set aside.

Next in the same pan, add the lemongrass paste and fry until fragrant. (You can also just add it to the cook chicken but I like to fry the paste just to release the flavor and allow the moisture from the past to evaporate. It’s totally a personal preference). Once the paste is fragrant, return the chicken and combine it together.

Next add the pahok sauce if using. Followed with jalapenos and onions then sugar and fish sauce. Combine all ingredients together and adjust to taste.

Finally, turn the heat off and add the basil leaves. It will wilt once you mix it in. Plate it up and serve with steam rice.