Tuk Trey
| Tuk Trey | |
|---|---|
| Khmer name | ទឹកត្រី |
| Other names | Teuk trey; Tœ̆k trei; Teuk Trey Koh Kong; Cambodian dipping sauce |
| Dish types | Condiment |
| Subjects | Food & Foodways; Migration & Diaspora |
| Related dishes | Sach Ko Ang; Bai Sach Chrouk; Kdam Chaa Mrech Kampot |
Cambodian fish-sauce dipping sauce pounded with garlic, chilli, sugar and lime, and the Khmer term for fish sauce itself.
Tuk Trey (Khmer: ទឹកត្រី) is a Cambodian fish-sauce dipping sauce pounded with garlic, chilli, sugar and lime, and the Khmer term for fish sauce itself. (Wikipedia: Cambodian cuisine)
Cultural context
Tuk trey is the Khmer name for fish sauce, a Cambodian condiment used to salt soups and noodle dishes, to marinate meats and as a dipping sauce for fish, and which, mixed with garlic, ginger and lime juice, becomes a sauce for spring rolls, salads and noodles. (Wikipedia: Cambodian cuisine) Fish sauce is described as an important ingredient in Khmer cooking, and Kampot is known for a distinctive variety made from locally sourced anchovies. (Wikipedia: Cambodian cuisine) As a table sauce it accompanies Cambodian food generally and fried and barbecued meats in particular, and at Kep's crab market it is served with steamed blue crab at most restaurants and stalls. (Thida's Kitchen) Thida, who introduced the sauce to friends after coming to Canada and sent batches to friends in Toronto, describes the midday sound of a pestle striking a mortar in Cambodia as the signal for the long lunch break. (Thida's Kitchen) Brooklyn-based Cambodian cook Chinchakriya Un presents tuk trey as a versatile Cambodian sauce built from pounded aromatics, fish sauce, palm sugar, lime and herbs. (Row 7 Seed Company)
Preparations and recipes
- Thida's Kitchen
- Pounded garlic and chilli dipping sauce balanced with sugar, lime juice and fish sauce.
Regional and community variations
Proportions are adjusted to taste: more chilli raises the heat, less sugar brings out savoury and zesty notes, and more garlic makes a thicker, relish-like sauce; for spring rolls the fish sauce is reduced and the sugar increased, and a separate steak version uses lime juice, salt and black pepper. (Thida's Kitchen) The proportions in that recipe are described as similar to sauce found throughout southern Cambodia. (Thida's Kitchen) Chinchakriya Un's version pounds in lemongrass and green garlic stems and finishes the sauce with chopped herbs and toasted rice powder. (Row 7 Seed Company)