Beef Lok Lak
| Beef Lok Lak | |
|---|---|
| Khmer name | ឡុកឡាក់ |
| Other names | Lok lak; Lok lak sach ko; Loc lac; Shaking beef |
| Dish types | Stir-fry |
| Subjects | Food & Foodways; Migration & Diaspora |
| Related dishes | Kdam Chaa Mrech Kampot |
Cubed beef seared with garlic and savoury sauces, served over lettuce and tomato with a Kampot pepper and lime dip.
Beef Lok Lak (Khmer: ឡុកឡាក់) is cubed beef seared with garlic and savoury sauces, served over lettuce and tomato with a Kampot pepper and lime dip. (Wikipedia: Lok lak)
Cultural context
Lok lak, also known as shaking beef, originated in the sidewalk eateries of Saigon, using ingredients brought over by the French within East and Southeast Asian cooking traditions. (Wikipedia: Lok lak) The dish spread to neighbouring Cambodia, is now widely enjoyed there, and has come to be considered one of the country's national dishes. (Wikipedia: Lok lak) Cambodian chef Nak presents beef lok lak as one of Cambodia's classic French-influenced dishes, traditionally finished with a sunny-side egg and eaten with fragrant steamed rice. (Chef Nak) Its dipping sauce depends on Kampot pepper, a peppercorn grown in Cambodia's Kampot region. (Marion's Kitchen)
Preparations and recipes
- Chef Nak, NHUM: Recipes from a Cambodian Home Kitchen
- Beef tenderloin marinated in palm sugar, oyster and soy sauces, seared with garlic and served with a Kampot pepper, salt and lime dip.
Regional and community variations
The initial Cambodian version used high-quality steak cut into pieces and pan-seared in French butter, reflecting Indochina's French colonial past. (Wikipedia: Lok lak) A later version influenced by Chinese culinary technique used cheaper cuts with Chinese oyster sauce and beef cut into strips rather than cubes, and that version is generally what is eaten in Cambodia today. (Wikipedia: Lok lak)