Cambodia - Hot & Sour Mushroom Soup

Hot & Sour Mushroom Soup

Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients

-       3 c Vegetable stock

-       1 ts Pepper sauce

-       1 Inch Lemon grass -- finely chopped into rings

-       3 Kaffir lime leaves -- roughly torn into three

-       1 ts Sugar

-       2 tb Lemon juice

-       2 oz Oyster mushrooms -- coarsely separated -OR- button mushrooms

-       2 sm Fresh red or green chilis - (more if desired) -- crushed to split open

Directions

-       In a large pan, bring the vegetable stock to the boil and stir in the Pepper sauce.

-       Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring well until the mushrooms are just cooked but still al dente.

-       Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

Cambodia - Cambodian Spiced Pork Ball Soup (Khao Poun)

Cambodian Spiced Pork Ball Soup 

(Khao Poun)

A sloppy soup to eat, but fun and savory. Those crazy cellophane noodles slip all over the place, no matter what you try--the best strategy is a combination of spoon, chopsticks, and picking up the bowl and drinking it. Serve hot to 4-6 people as a first course.

Ingredients

-       1 cup cellophane (bean thread) noodles, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes, then cut into 6-inch lengths

-       6 cups chicken stock

-       1/2 cup smoked ham, finely chopped

-       1/2 cup pork, ground

-       2 Tablespoons water chestnuts, minced

-       1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

-       1 Tablespoon soy sauce

-       Garnish: 2 Tablespoons green onions, minced

Directions

-       Boil the stock in a large saucepan and stir in the soaked and cut cellophane noodles.

-       Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

-       Meanwhile, mix together the minced ham, pork, and water chestnuts with the cornstarch and soy sauce.

-       Shape the meat into little balls and drop into the soup.

-       Continue cooking over moderate heat for another 15 minutes.

-       Taste. If the broth is too concentrated, dilute with a little water.

When ready to serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with scallions. Arm your guests with any tools they ask for and promise not to laugh as they slurp away.

Cambodia - Cambodian Sweet Soup

Cambodian Sweet Soup

Servings: 4-5 persons

Prep time: 30min

Cook time: 2-3 hours

(cook time recommended for full taste, however 30 minutes will do)

Total Time: 1-4 hours (variable based on choosen cook time)

Ingredients

-       6-8 boiled eggs, peeled

-       1.5-2 lbs pork, cut into chunky cubes

-       fish sauce

-       soy sauce

-       pepper, salt

-       1-1.5 cups sugar

-       bamboo shoots, rectangular/ squarely sliced thin

Directions

1. Bring about 3-4 cups of water to a roaring boil

2. Add enough soy sauce to make a dark brown color

3. Add a couple dashes of pepper

4. Add a dash of salt

5. Add sugar until sweet (the soup, not you!)

6. Add enough fish sauce to taste (usu about 1.4 cup)

7. Add about 5-7 tbps of soy sauce

At this point you should be smelling a very beautifull smell. The soup should taste sweet, but not so sweet you can't taste the tinge of fish sauce you added.

-       Add the boiled eggs to the soup, let boil for about 15 minutes then add the cubed pork.

-       Add Bamboo slices to soup and let boil on medium for about 30 minutes.

-       You should notice that the eggs are taking up a shiny delicatable brown color.

-       The soup should smell slightly different.

-       When eggs are a nice brown color, the soup is ready to serve.

It IS STRONGLY recommended that you let the soup simmer on a low heat for about 2-3 hours. The eggs and pork will absorb the flavor better. The soup will taste sweeter and more tasty because of the water that has evaporated. Serve with a plate of hot steamy rice. Use laddle to cover rice with soup sauce.