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FAHTHAI
71
LIME AND BEEF SALAD
This healthy, delicately flavoured dish is
one of the country’s favourite starters or
sides. Thin strips of beef and shredded
onion are flash fried in a pan with lime,
pepper, salt and a dash of fish sauce. The
tangy fresh lime juice perfectly balances
the heat and intensity of the pepper
to produce a dish that’s delicious and
refreshing.
PEPPER CRAB
Alongside pepper, Kampot made its name
as a purveyor of high-quality crabs. When
the two are paired, the result is a seafood
dish few in the region can rival. Rough-cut
blue swimmer crabs are fried in a pan with
whole bunches of citrusy green Kampot
pepper, dark soy sauce, spring onions,
chopped garlic and a dash of palm sugar. A
minor masterpiece.
BEEF LOC LAC
Simple to prepare yet elegantly flavoured,
beef loc lac is one of Cambodia’s national
dishes. It’s prepared by marinating cubed
pieces of sirloin steak in soy sauce along
with sugar, black pepper and sliced garlic.
The mixture is sautéed in lime juice before
being served on a bed of lettuce alongside
steamed Cambodian rice. The go-to dish
of Khmer cuisine.
Khmer
cuisine
PEPPER PUNCH
Traditional Khmer
food uses pepper,
rather than chilli,
to add spice
Cambodian food
shares similarities
with that of its
neighbour Thailand,
though Cambodians
prefer to spice their
dishes with pepper
rather than chilli.
The result is an
array of dishes that
are just as complex,
albeit with far less
heat. Here are some
highlights:
S P I C E I T U P
