Tirk prahok has been a staple steak sauce in Cambodian cuisine forever. We really love our tirk prahok. Lol 😂 Being able to enjoy different versions of this distinct sauce from different cooks since a kid, I can say they are all delicious in their own way. They could range from very simple few ingredients to ones with very complex process and a long list of ingredients. The one thing that they all got right is The combination of fermented fish, fresh herbs, spices, and eggplant which showcases the rich flavors characteristic of Khmer cooking.
This here is one of my favorite version for steaks and organ meats but it does require a bit more process than some of the simpler recipes.
You’ll need one stalk of lemongrass, a few slices of galanga, a half dozen of kaffir lime leaves, one jalapeno and a couple of sweet peppers (not shown here since i didn’t have any at the time), one bulb of garlic, a couple of khmer eggplants and some radish for that extra crunchy contrast. Bathe the sliced eggplants in cold water so that it doesn’t brown with oxidation.
For mild with no hot peppers for family members who cannot tolerate spicy food, I use one large california chili pod pepper which is not spicy at all and mainly for color and a hint of flavor.
For prahok, I like using a combination of two types of fish, trey gompleang gouramy and trey ros mud fish. But if you could only have one, i would recommend the mud fish which has more fish meat and taste more premium in my opinion. I use one heaping tablespoon of each, totaling 2 heaping tablespoons of prahok. Then, i add equal part hot water and cook the prahok mixture in the microwave with a lid for 30 seconds. Alternatively, you can use the stove. I’ve eaten some that were made with raw prahok, but I much prefer it cooked.
Full recipe on sreyda.com
sreyda.com/recipe/tirk-prahok/
#prahok #steaksauce #cambodianfood