Char Kroeung

AmandaInOz's Note:

From The Age, August 15, 2007. Quick Cambodian stir-fry. Serve with rice vermicelli noodles, lettuce, fresh mint and bean shoots.

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

For the kroeung paste

• 2 stalks lemongrass , thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves , coarsely chopped
• 1 large shallot , coarsely chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons galangal , peeled and coarsely chopped
• 6 kaffir lime leaves , deveined
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 chilies , chopped and seeded
• ½ cup water

For the stir-fry

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 600 g beef or 600 g chicken
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 large onion , peeled and sliced into wedges
• 1 red capsicum , sliced (bell pepper)
• ½ cup roasted peanuts , ground
• rice vermicelli , for serving

Directions:

1. Blend all the paste ingredients in a blender until smooth.
2. Transfer the paste to a bowl, add the meat and mix well.
3. Heat the oil in large wok over medium heat. Add meat, stirring well until browned.
4. Add fish sauce, sugar and salt and stir until the sauce is bubbling.
5. Add the onion wedges and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent.
6. Add the red capsicum and 6 tablespoons of roasted peanuts. Stir for another minute, then remove from heat.
7. Sprinkle with remaining peanuts and serve with rice vermicelli noodles, lettuce, fresh mint and bean shoots.

Reviews

[Leggy Peggy]

Outstanding flavour and so easy to make. It was a good way to put the teenagers to work chopping and slicing. Made it with sliced beef. Didn't have fresh galangal, so used 1 1/2 teaspoons of laos powder (dried galangal). Galangal has a lovely, mild taste so I decided it was okay to use equal amounts of fresh or dried. A word of warning -- just coarsely grind the roasted peanuts. Otherwise you end up with peanut butter. Served on lettuce leaves -- the finished dish looks gorgeous. Made and thoroughly enjoyed for the Asian Forum's Tempted by Turmeric Tag Game. Yummo!

[Cilantro in Canada]

I saw this recipe today and had to try it because it looked so interesting. I wanted to make a vegetarian dish (health reasons) so I subbed chick peas for the meat and just added them to the pot with the veggies. The only change to the sauce was that I used 1 T of fish sauce. I forgot to add the lime leaves until the end so I just bruised them and added whole to the pot. This was so fragrant and flavourful. It reheated well the next day too. Thanks for the recipe.

[Elmotoo]

It took more than 5 minutes to prep everything but not a difficult task. And who really cares when the end result tastes as INCREDIBLE as this does!! WOW, the flavor is phenomenal!! I used lemongrass paste from a tube - a mighty handy little invention. I couldn't find fresh galangal so I used fresh ginger & tossed in some dried galangal powder that i found at the Asian Market today. ;) I subbed the zest of 1 lime for the kaffir lime leaves, as well. I tossed it all into my mini food prep chopper & WHIZZ. I used a family pack of boneless thighs & they were ALL eaten (2 adults, 2 young kids)! I was also lucky enough to find FRESH rice noodles!! 1 package is enough for 4, btw & they don't keep. I skipped the peanuts as THE PICKY ONE would have boycotted. I did add the mint at the end. (The bean sprouts ended up in another veggie dish with the bok choy.) We LOVED this dish & it will be made for company someday. YUMMMMM!!! Thank you!!! MAde for the Asian Forum's Use Your Noodle Tag.