Lort Cha
| Lort Cha | |
|---|---|
| Khmer name | លតឆា |
| Other names | Lort char; Lot cha; Lod cha |
| Dish types | Noodle dish; Stir-fry |
| Subjects | Food & Foodways; Migration & Diaspora; Work & Livelihoods |
| Related dishes | Kuy Teav; Bai Cha |
Cambodian Chinese street-food stir-fry of short silver needle noodles topped with a fried egg.
Lort Cha (Khmer: លតឆា) is a Cambodian Chinese street-food stir-fry of short silver needle noodles topped with a fried egg. (Wikipedia: Lort cha)
Cultural context
Lort cha is a Cambodian Chinese street food stir-fry of silver needle noodles with garlic, bean sprouts, scallions or chives, Chinese greens or cabbage and beef, chicken or pork, seasoned with palm sugar, fish sauce and dark soy sauce and served with a fried egg. (Wikipedia: Lort cha) Its place of origin is Cambodia, and in 2022 the BBC named it one of the 50 best street foods in Asia. (Wikipedia: Lort cha) SreyDa likewise describes lort cha as Cambodian and a popular street food. (SreyDa) What To Cook Today records ordering it at Cambodian restaurants in Minnesota, and a Cambodian-American commenter there explains that cha means stir-fry in Khmer while lort refers to the short rice noodles. (What To Cook Today)
Preparations and recipes
- What To Cook Today
- Short rice pin noodles stir-fried with marinated pork, cabbage and bean sprouts in a soy and oyster sauce.
Regional and community variations
The noodles may be stir-fried in one pass with garlic, sauce, blanched bean sprouts and scallions, or partially cooked in three separate batches and combined, then served with a fried egg, sliced chillies and chilli, soy and fish sauces on the side. (Wikipedia: Lort cha) Cooks substitute pork, beef, chicken, leftover shredded chicken or an egg-only meatless version, and use cabbage, mung bean sprouts, yu choy, Chinese broccoli, broccolini or bok choy with either store-bought or homemade rice pin noodles. (What To Cook Today)