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: H.P. Raingsy, Picture by : Nathan Dexter. |
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H'mok is
a particularly succulent Cambodian curry of a firm
but moist consistency. It differs from most curries
in that it is steamed, usually in banana leaf.
Although traditionally a fish curry, h'mok can be
made from just about any meat and variations include
pork, crab, shrimp, and even snails steamed in their
shells.
The sometimes difficult to find sleuk nhor leaves
(morinda citrifolia) are sometimes substituted by
cabbage.
Ingredients
Sach (Meat). For fish h'mok, the best kind to use
is trei rah, trei andeng or any firm-fleshed, meaty
fish.
Any meat or seafood may also be substituted.
Porng tea (egg, beaten)
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Above: The ingredients
for fish h’mok and (right) the dish
completed and presented.
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Kroeung (Spice
Paste)
Ktih daung dambong (coconut cream)
Ktih daung (coconut milk)
Mteh kriem (dried red chillies, soaked, drained and minced)
Kul sleuk krey (lemon grass stalk, chopped into tiny slices)
Rumdeng (galangal), cut small and fried until aromatic
Romiet (tumeric) sliced
Kcheay (or by its Latin name, amomum zingiber, a kind
of thin, finger-like ginger), finely diced and fried until
aromatic
Leaves of krauch seuch (Kaffir lime), thinly sliced
Rind of krauch seuch, sliced
Sandek-dei (peanut), roasted
Kaapi (shrimp paste), fried until aromatic
Ktim sar (cloves of garlic)
Young leaves of sleuk kantuort (cicca nodiflora, a species
of tree which bears a type of small, sour fruit);
Young sleuk nhor leaves (morinda citrifolia)
Mteh Ploak (capsicum or red or green pepper)
Teuk trei (fish sauce)
Skar (sugar)
Ambel (salt)
Other seasonal vegetables may also be added or substituted,
depending on taste, including spey kdoab (cabbage), l'peov
(pumpkin), or trav (taro) |
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H'mok
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To make
banana leaf cups
First, clean banana leaves with a damp, clean cloth.
Dip leaves into boiling water just long enough to
become pliable, but not too long or they will become
brittle and crack while being shaped.
Cut banana leaves into a circle, 25cm in diameter.
Put two pieces together to make double thickness a
single leaf is not strong enough to contain the
mixture during steaming.
Mark a square in the middle. This will be the bottom
of the cup.
Place your thumb at one corner of the square and
pull up two sides of the leaves. Tuck in the fold,
and pin together with a tiny bamboo stick or toothpick.
Repeat with the next corner.
Continue doing this until all the four sides of
the cup are held and fixed together. Preparation
and Cooking |
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Wash fish or meat
and chop. The trei rah or trei andeng should be cut into
large, thin slices.
Set aside in a bamboo basket to drain.
Make the kroeung by grinding lemon grass stalk, tumeric,
kcheay, rumdeng, garlic cloves, dried chilli, the rind
and leaves of the krauch seuch, peanuts and kaapi together
in a mortar and pestle.
Stir the kroeung into a cup of coconut milk, and stir
until dissolved.
Add the beaten egg, fish sauce, salt, sugar and sliced
fish or other meat, being sure not to make the mixture
too salty.
Add the remaining coconut milk and mix well.
Place the nhor or kantuot leaves on the bottom of the
banana cups, then fill three-quarters full with the coconut
mixture.
Top each cup with the coconut cream, thinly sliced kaffir
lime leaves (krauch seuch) and red pepper
Snail Meat H'mok
A regional method of serving h'mok is with the meat
of the kchorng srer, an edible snail found in rice fields.
To make this, follow the recipe above, substituting
snail meat for fish after removing the snails from their
shells. Reserve shells.
To serve
Soak shells overnight to ensure they are completely
clean. Wash thoroughly.
Cut banana leaves into long strips. Hold the two ends
of the strips together and push the loop end inside
the snail shell.
Spoon in the snail and coconut mixture. Steam the filled
shells for about 20 minutes.
To eat, gently pull the ends of the banana leaf and
lift the curry out of the snail shell.
Enjoy your meal of h'mok, a justly famous traditional
dish of Cambodia.
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Suite
B8, Regency Square, InterContinental Hotel, 294 Mao Tse Toung
Boulevard,
Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Tel: (855) 23 213 133 Fax: (855) 23 213 033
E-mail:
editor@leisurecambodia.com |
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