Khor Sach Chrouk
| Khor Sach Chrouk | |
|---|---|
| Khmer name | ខសាច់ជ្រូក |
| Other names | Khor sach chruk; Kaw sach chrouk; Cambodian braised pork |
| Dish types | Curry; Rice dish |
| Subjects | Food & Foodways; Family & Intergenerational Life; Migration & Diaspora |
| Related dishes | Bai Sach Chrouk |
Slow-braised pork belly stewed with ginger, pepper and palm sugar caramel.
Khor Sach Chrouk (Khmer: ខសាច់ជ្រូក) is slow-braised pork belly stewed with ginger, pepper and palm sugar caramel. (Wikipedia: Khor sach chrouk)
Cultural context
The braise known in Khmer as khor sach chrouk consists of small pieces of marinated pork and boiled eggs braised in coconut juice; the Wikipedia article states the dish originated in Vietnam, that it is associated with Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese cuisines, and that it spread from Vietnam to nearby Southeast Asian countries including Cambodia and Laos. (Wikipedia: Khor sach chrouk) Grantourismo records that Cambodians call the dish khor sach chrouk or kaw sach chrouk, with khor meaning stew and sach chrouk meaning pork meat, and describes stews as some of the oldest foods eaten in Cambodia alongside rice and soups. (Grantourismo) Historically the dish might have been made with wild boar while locals now use domesticated pigs, and in rural Cambodia it may be cooked outdoors over an open fire or on a clay brazier, traditionally in a clay pot, with a small or medium pot for family meals and a large pot for special occasions for which villagers may keep pigs. (Grantourismo) Cambodians serve vegetables separately rather than cooking them into the stew, and the dish is recommended with steamed jasmine rice and braised bok choy or other Asian greens. (Grantourismo)
Preparations and recipes
- Terence Carter, Grantourismo
- Brined pork belly marinated with ginger and pepper, caramelised in palm sugar and simmered with peanuts and stock.
Regional and community variations
Grantourismo compares the braise with Cambodian pork leg stew and Cambodian sweet pork belly with boiled eggs, as well as Japanese butaniku no kakuni and Thai, Vietnamese, Korean and Shanghai braised pork belly, and notes traditional vessels including clay pots, tin pots, clay braziers and open fires. (Grantourismo)