Khmer Food for Luke

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C — I think I am about to have a heart attack.

I not feeling well right now. I’m about to throw up. I’m feeling sick to my stomach. Why? Jim just mentioned that his friend Luke was coming over for dinner. I am scared. I am really scared.

Why? Luke is a CIA-trained Chef. He’s BIG in Sacramento. He works for one of the best restaurants in Sacramento. And he’s coming to judge MY cooking. MY cooking!

I’m drawing a blank here. I don’t know what to make. Can I hide until he leaves? Can he have some drinks and crackers and go? OK, seriously now. What’s in the fridge?

Nothing!!! Maybe the makings of a good sandwich, but not for Luke. This man cures his own pancetta for goodness sake! OK, can we call it off? Or postpone? PLEASE!!!!

JIM POSTPONED!!! YES!

The Taste Test

So after postponing Luke for a couple of weeks, I completely forgot about the dinner. So let the panic attack begin. AGAIN!

I think I will be daring and make the dinner interesting. I am going to make Cambodian (Khmer) food. I don’t think he’s ever tried it, so I can’t lose if the guy has never tried it and I make a mistake. Right?

I have to admit. I usually don’t cook Cambodian food for many people outside my family. It’s not that I am not proud of my culture. It tastes great. It’s more that it can make the house smell bad. It’s like stinky cheese. It smells bad, but it sure taste good. Well, today is the day to make the house stink.

Pickled mud fish is the main ingredient and Chef Luke is the judge. SCARY!!! Well, not as scary as my mother coming over for dinner and judging my every move. No one can beat her on that. But, Luke is still making me nervous. So, I hope I make my mama proud.

Pickled mud fish (now called fish sauce) is a staple in any Cambodian household. It’s fermented mud fish with salt, powdered rice, anchovy extract and sugar. A little goes a long way, but it really makes the sauce unique. If made correctly it should have the right balance of salty, sweet, spicy, sour and savory. The freshness of the basil and green onions adds to the complexity of the sauce. It’s a great sauce for dipping meat. I am serving it with tri tip and chicken hearts on a stick. Just because I can! My mom would just tell me to grill a steak and be done with it.

Crossing my fingers that Luke will like it.

Khmer Food for Luke
Recipe type: Main
Author:
Prep time: 60 mins
Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins
Total time: 2 hours 30 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
Basil Pickled Mud Fish Sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic with peel
  • ¼ onion
  • 1 jalapeno cut in half
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon pickled mud fish
  • 2 cups warm chicken stock
  • ½ cup Hot basil – chopped finely
  • ½ cup green onions – chopped finely
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon mushroom seasoning
  • Red Thai chili (optional)
Tri Tip On a Stick
  • 3 pounds of tri-tip beef, sliced thinly crosswise
  • 30 skewers, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
Chicken Hearts On a Stick
  • 1 pound of chicken hearts
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 10 skewers, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
Instructions
  1. In a 350° oven roast garlic, onion, jalapeno. Make a small 1in x 1in basket out of aluminum foil. Place pickled mud fish in small basket and roast. Roast for 10 minutes until brown.
  2. In a mortar and pestle mash up garlic (peel removed), onion, jalapeño and salt. Place in a bowl after mashed.
Basil Pickled Mud Fish Sauce
  1. In a large bowl place the mashed up mixture, hot basil, and green onions together.
  2. In another bowl, combine pickled mud fish and chicken stock. Mix mud fish and stock until well incorporated.
  3. Add pickled mud fish into veggie mixture.
  4. Add salt, sugar, lime and mushroom seasoning to taste. It should be a balanced taste.
  5. Serve with meat with rice and soup.
Tri Tip On a Stick
  1. Thread slices of meat on skewer, weaving in and out until each stick is full. Leave about one inch from the end of the stick.
  2. Heat grill on high and grill meat for two minutes on each side until meat has nice grill marks.
  3. Take off the grill, cover until ready to serve.
  4. Serve with dipping sauce.
  5. Enjoy!
Chicken Hearts On a Stick
  1. Boil 2 quarts of water. Add chicken hearts. Add salt and garlic powder. Boil for 45 minutes or until hearts are tender.
  2. Remove hearts from stock. Make sure to reserve stock for putting the hearts in after they are on a stick so they don’t dry out.
  3. Thread hearts on skewers, approximately 10 on each stick.
  4. Place stock in shallow bowl and add hearts on a stick back to stock so they won’t dry out.
  5. Heat grill on high. Add hearts on a stick to grill and grill for 2 minutes on each side or until grill marks show.
  6. Serve with dipping sauce.
  7. Enjoy!

 

HE LIKED IT! HE LIKED IT!

I did it! Another successful day blogging. So far, so good.

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