Fish Amok
| Fish Amok | |
|---|---|
| Khmer name | អាម៉ុកត្រី |
| Other names | Amok trey; Amok trei |
| Dish types | Steamed dish; Curry |
| Subjects | Food & Foodways; History & Remembrance |
| Related dishes | Kroeung |
Khmer steamed fish curry with a mousse-like texture, made with kroeung, coconut cream and eggs and steamed in banana leaf.
Fish Amok (Khmer: អាម៉ុកត្រី) is a Khmer steamed fish curry with a mousse-like texture, made with kroeung, coconut cream and eggs and steamed in banana leaf. (Wikipedia: Fish amok)
Cultural context
Fish amok is a Khmer steamed fish curry with a mousse-like consistency, made with freshwater fish such as goby, snakehead or catfish, yellow or green kroeung, coconut cream and eggs. (Wikipedia: Fish amok) It is considered one of Cambodia's national dishes and is believed to have been a royal Khmer dish dating back to the Khmer Empire. (Wikipedia: Fish amok) The mixture is steamed in a banana leaf container with great morinda leaves for roughly 20 to 30 minutes and served hot, usually with steamed rice. (Wikipedia: Fish amok) Cambodian chef Nak describes the dish as deeply Cambodian and as holding the soul of Khmer cooking. (Chef Nak)
Preparations and recipes
- Chef Nak, NHUM: Recipes from a Cambodian Home Kitchen
- Steamed fish curry built on kroeung, dried chilli paste, shrimp paste and coconut cream, portioned into banana leaf cups and steamed until set.
Regional and community variations
Goby, snakehead or catfish may be replaced with cod, snapper, barramundi, salmon, whiting or perch, and Swiss chard leaves can stand in for great morinda leaves when those are unavailable. (Wikipedia: Fish amok) Many restaurants in Cambodia serve less traditional versions that use chicken, tofu or beef instead of fish, a store-bought herb paste, a more liquid consistency, or cooking rather than steaming. (Wikipedia: Fish amok)