Grill Lemongrass Pork Paste ( Khmer Kop Prohok)

Grill Lemongrass Pork Paste ( Khmer Kop Prohok)

The Farmer in Cambodia love this food and everyone in Cambodia know what it is. You have to adjust the recipe to your taste with lemongrass kreoung (paste) and sour flavor.

1 cup of ground pork (you can do small fish also, but I like pork better no bone)
4 T mix lemongrass paste (with Lemongrass, galangal, krachai, garlic, turmeric, and kaffir lime leave)
11/2 cup any kind of mushroom you like (minced)
2 T of Tamarind powder or Krasong or young Tamarind leaves of your choice (only use one or else it will be too sour) adjust to your taste
2 T of good Khmer Prohok paste
1 T of chicken powder base (Like Knorr)
Chopped chilies to your taste
MSG optional but it helps with this kind of food
1/2 cup of Minced holy basil (Mreas Prove) you can add more if you like

In a dip mortar pestle pound the lemongrasses with everything to paste then add the ground pork to it make sure you have a spoon to stir it around

Now add korr chicken, MSG, tamarind powder or krasong of your choice stir everything with a spoon

Add chilies, and last add the Prahok holy basil and mix it very well.

Tear out a big piece of foil or banana leaves of you have it, spoon the Kop Prohok mixture put it in a center and fold it to close both side whatever work for you.

You can steam kop prohok in a bowl like Amok, but it is better to grill it on a gas grill or bake in the oven at 350 degree for 35 minutes or until the pork meat is done (depend on how big you wrap it).

Serve Kop Prohok with rice and green vegetables the best one is green tamarind and green mango

Enjoy!

Beef Broth with Herbs

Beef Broth with Herbs

This recipe is not often use in many part of Cambodia, but in my family we love it. When my kids get sick I often make it for them it is fast and easy. You can adjust the liquid to the amount of beef you have, the broth is the most importance in this soup.

1 cup of good beef thinly sliced (make sure the beef is very thin like you slice it for Pho)
1 cup of low sodium beef broth
1 cup of water
1 small package of wonton soup mix (it come with 5 packages at the Asian store)
1 garlic clove minced
1 Kaffir lime leaves (torn)
Fish sauce to taste if needed more salt
Black pepper to taste

For garnish

2 T of minced cilantro
2 T of chopped green onion
2 T of saw tooth coriander
2 T of Chinese celery leave (optional)
Lime wedge

In a pot bring water and beef broth to a boil, add garlic, torn kaffir lime leaves
Add wonton soup mix and taste the broth for saltiness if needed add fish sauce to it
While the water is still boiling add beef stir and turn the heat off add black pepper to your taste

To serve spoon the soup into a bowl then garnish with cilantro, green onion, lime juice, and saw tooth.

Serve hot with rice
Enjoy!

Bake Chicken Cream Cheese Broccoli

Bake Chicken Cream Cheese Broccoli

6 chicken breasts sliced open in half
3 cups cooked broccoli chopped to small pieces
1 cube of cream cheese
3 T of milk
6 string cheese for each chicken breast
1 cup of Italian dressing to marinate the chicken
Bread crumb or crush corn flake to coat the chicken

Sliced the chicken breast open then marinate them with Italian dressing for 1 hour
In a skillet melted cream cheese with 3 T of milk then add the cooked broccoli to it, mix it well and turn the heat off set aside.

Spray baking dish, take each chicken breast ( keep the marinate if any left ) and stuff it with 1 String Cheese then top with cream cheese broccoli mixture secure it with toothpicks. Roll it with the left over marinate and then bread crumbs or corn flake. If you like you can lay any slice cheese on the top to bake.

Preheat oven to 400 degree, cover the chicken bake for 25 to 30 minutes, 5 minutes before it is done uncover so the cheese can be melted and the chicken is golden brown.

No Rise Dinner Rolls

No Rise Dinner Rolls

I found this recipe from Taste of Home and it is very easy to make only 10 minutes rise before baking.

2 T of active dry yeast
1 cup plus 2 T of warm water (110 to 115)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 t salt
3 to 3 ½ cup of flour

In a big bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar stir let stand for 5 minutes
Then add egg, salt, and 3 cup of flour to form soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic for 5 minutes
Divide dough into 12 pieces, shape each into a ball, and place 3 inches apart on greased baking sheets.
Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Bake at 425 degree oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

When done take out the oven and brush the top with honey butter.
Serve warm or hot as dinner rolls.

You can make this as hamburger bun by divide the dough into 6 to 8 equal pieces depend on how big you want the bun to be.

Enjoy!

Buttermilk Donuts

Buttermilk Donuts

If you have buttermilk biscuits in hand you can make delicious homemade donuts for your kids.
This recipe is easy anyone can do it. My daughter likes to help me make these donuts.

One big can of Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits (16.3oz) you can make as many you like, one can will give you 8 donuts.
11/2 cup vegetable oil for deep fry the donuts
Store bought Rainbow mix sprinkle for decoration

Donut Glaze

1 cup of Powder Sugar
2 1/2 T of milk
1/2 t of vanilla extract
Mix the ingredients until smooth, set aside

To make the Donuts
Take out the biscuit dough punch a hole in the dough (don’t through away the inside dough roll it to small ball and deep fry it also)

In a fry pan heat oil on medium until hot (note if the oil is too hot the dough will burn so fast and not cook on the inside) when oil is ready turn the heat down a bit then drop one dough at a time fry until golden brown then turn to the other side, this process only take just couple minutes or so.

Take the donut out and drain while it is still hot dip one side of the donut into the sugar glaze and decorate with any sprinkle.

For the little round donut hole you can fry it quickly and dip in sugar glaze or powder sugar.

Serve warm or cold as snack.

Enjoy!

Tapioca Honey Milk

Tapioca Honey Milk

To make this tapioca honey milk you need condensed milk and honey. You can make as much as you can and adjust the taste. I did not measure this drink.

Tapioca pearl (cook according to package direction) drain and set aside

For the simple sugar syrup (heat mix and set aside)
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of water (do adjust the sweetness to your taste)
Let it cool down then add the cooked Tapioca to it keep in the refrigerator until ready to use

To make the Tapioca Honey Milk
Take the amount of Tapioca sugar syrup you want to drink put in the glass
Then add 2 T of condensed milk and 1 T of honey (make sure you mix with boiling water a bit to dissolve the milk and honey) You can add more hot water to make it less sweet or add more milk to make it sweeter it is up to you. Mix well and add ice to it. It is easy if you have cocktail shaker jar to do this recipe.

Dinner Rolls

Dinner Rolls

This pineapple dinner rolls are soft and easy to make. You need to let it rise as long as you can for the second time.


6 to 7 cups of wheat and white bread flour (I use 3 cups of white and 3 cups of wheat)
Note: you can also use all white flour, I like half and half.
3 eggs
1 ½ cup of pineapple juice
3/4 cup of sugar
2 t salt
1/2 t ground ginger
1 t vanilla extract
2 envelopes of yeasts
1 stick of butter melted

In a kitchen aid or mixing bowl put butter, eggs, pineapple juice, sugar, salt, ginger, vanilla and mix it on low speed until well combine

Now add 3 cups of wheat and one envelope of yeast and mix until the dough is combining
Next add 3 cups of white flour and the last envelope of yeast and mix it until the dough become smooth
If the dough is still too soft you can add a bit more of flour to it or you can knead it with a bit more flour
Take it out flour your work surface and knead the dough for 5 minutes until it is very smooth
Spray a big bowl and put the dough in cover let it raise for 1 ½ hours.

Take the dough out after it raised, punch down and knead and roll it to make round dough, divide the dough to 24 equal pieces shape to small balls. Spray baking dish and let the dough rise for the second time as long as you can. I did it until it is double size for 3 hours or longer.

When ready to bake turn the even on to 350 degree and bake for 25 to 30 minutes depend on your oven. My oven only takes 25 minutes. Take them out the oven and brush it with melted honey and butter.

Serve hot or warm.

Enjoy!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

1/4 cup of butter melted
1 cup pack brown sugar
1 can of pineapple ring, drained juice reserved to make one cup
1 ½ cup of maraschino Cherries without stems
1 box of Yellow Cake mix (replaces water with Pineapple juice)

Mix the cake according to package by replaces water with 1 cup of pineapple juice (if you don’t have enough juice add water to make 1 cup) set aside

Melt the butter in 9x13 baking dish in the oven at 350 degree, take out when the butter is melted
Sprinkle brown sugar evenly in melted butter
Lay the pineapple ring on top of the brown sugar
Put the cherries in the middle and between pineapple
Next lay the cake mix evenly on the top

Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes; insert the toothpick inside the cake if it comes out clean it is done
Take the cake out, immediately run the knife around side of pan to loosen cake.

Place a serving plate upside down onto pan, turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake for 5 minutes so brown sugar topping can drizzle over cake. Remove pan. Cool for 30 minutes.

Serve warm or cold with tea or coffee or hot chocolate.

Enjoy!

Coconut Sponge Cake

Coconut Sponge Cake

Sponge cake is very popular in Vietnam and Cambodia, In Cambodia we call it Nom Patunko serve with fresh coconut flake and roasted sesame seeds.

For the batter

2 cups rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 1/4 cup water
1 t yeast
1/2 t salt
1 ½ t baking powder

Mix everything together in a large bowl with let on let the batter rise for 2 hours

For the Coconut Cream

3/4 cup of coconut cream
1 ½ cup of sugar
1/4 cup of water
1 t vanilla extract

In a small sauce pan heat all the ingredients on low heat until the sugar melted
Turn the heat down set aside.

After 2 hours mix the coconut cream with the batter, mix it well and cover let it rise for the second time for 1 hour.

After 1 hour divide the batter equally and add 2 drops of food coloring to each batter. The best color is pink, yellow and green.



Using a large steamer boil the water and arrange 4 to 5 small bowls in the steamer (make sure you oil or spray the each small bowl so the batter won’t stick) Do not add the batter to the bowl yet let it boil for few minutes in the steamer so the cake rise better when the bowl is hot.



Steam the cake for 15 minutes depend on how big the bowl is, repeat the remainder

When the cake is done let it cool a bit then remove it from the bowl set it on the serving tray

In Cambodia we server this cake with fresh shredded coconut flake with toasted sesame seeds

Serve with coffee or Tea, but my kids like it with hot chocolate

Enjoy!

Ginger Fried Rice

Ginger Fried Rice

Ginger fried rice is really good if you use it with chicken or roasted duck, but  I make it with ham or even hot dog. Use fresh ginger or else it will not taste good.

4 cup of cold rice 1 day old
1 cup cooked chicken or ham dice
2 eggs scramble fry cut to thin slice
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 clove minced garlic
3 T  julienne fresh ginger (more or less up to you)
Cilantro for garnish (optional)
3 T of vegetable oil for stir fry

For the stir fry sauce
1 T sugar (more or less up to you)
3 T of seasoning soy sauce
1 T of dark soy sauce if you want the rice dark color
1 t sesame oil
Black pepper to taste
Mix all the ingredients together except black pepper you can put it last

In a wok turn on the heat to medium high
Add vegetable oil until hot
Add shallots and minced garlic stir fry until brown, but not burn
Add chicken, ham or shrimp stir fry until everything is hot
Add rice and break it so it won’t have lump; stir fry until rice is hot
Now add sauce mix well stir fry until all combine
Turn the heat off, add cooked egg, and green onion
Serve hot with dash of black or white pepper

Enjoy!