Pleah Sach Ko

Ingredients

Beef

• 400 gbeef tenderloin, from a trusted butcher

Curing

• juice of 6 limes, about 150 ml
• 1 tspsalt

Kroeung paste

• 2 stalkslemongrass, very finely sliced
• 4garlic cloves
• 1thumb galangal
• 3kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tspturmeric

To dress

• 3 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tbspsugar
• 3 tbsproasted rice powder
• 3shallots, thinly sliced
• 2chillies, sliced

Herbs

• a handful of mint
• a handful of coriander
• a handful of Vietnamese mint
• 2spring onions, sliced

To serve

• lettuce leaves
• raw vegetables
• sticky rice or steamed rice

Directions

1. Trim the tenderloin of all fat, sinew and silverskin. Put it in the freezer for twenty minutes to firm up. Work on a scrupulously clean board with a clean knife. Slice it as thinly as you possibly can, across the grain. The slices should be almost translucent.
2. Keep the sliced beef in a bowl set over ice. Slice the lemongrass extremely finely before pounding. Pound the lemongrass in a mortar first, since it is toughest. Add the galangal and pound it in. Add the garlic, lime leaves and turmeric.
3. Work it into a completely smooth paste. This takes fifteen minutes by hand and is worth doing properly. Toast raw glutinous rice in a dry pan over a medium heat. Stir it constantly for about eight minutes. It should turn deep golden and smell strongly toasted.
4. Grind it to a coarse powder in a mortar or grinder. It should be gritty rather than fine. Put the sliced beef in a bowl. Pour over the lime juice and add the salt. Turn the slices so every piece is coated.
5. Let it stand for ten to fifteen minutes. Watching the change tells you when it is ready. Squeeze the slices gently to remove excess lime juice. Discard all of that drained liquid. Leaving it in makes the finished salad wet and aggressively sour.
6. Put the drained beef in a large bowl. Add the kroeung paste and work it through. Add the fish sauce and the sugar. Add the sliced shallots and chillies. Sprinkle the roasted rice powder over. Toss it with your hands, lifting rather than stirring. Tear the mint, coriander and Vietnamese mint rather than chopping them. Add them with the spring onions. Toss it once more, very lightly.
7. Taste it and adjust the fish sauce, lime and chilli. It should be sour first, then salty, then hot and herbal. Turn it onto a platter and surround it with lettuce leaves. Do not keep any leftovers, since cured raw meat should not be held.

Technique

• Lime juice firms the meat but does not reliably kill bacteria or parasites.
• Buy a whole cut from a trusted butcher and tell them it is for raw eating.
• Drain off the lime juice after curing, or the salad is wet and aggressively sour.

Substitutions

• Briefly seared beef, which kills surface bacteria and still works in the dish.
• Ready-made roasted rice powder from a Southeast Asian shop.

Variations

• Made with the beef quickly seared for safety.
• With more chilli, which is common in Cambodia.
• Made with fish in place of beef, as pleah trey.

History

A Cambodian ceremonial salad served at gatherings, the acid firming the meat without cooking it.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pleah Sach Ko?

Pleah Sach Ko is a salad & side from Cambodia: thin raw beef cured in lime juice with herbs, shallot and roasted rice powder. A Cambodian ceremonial salad served at gatherings, the acid firming the meat without cooking it.

How long does Pleah Sach Ko take to make?

Pleah Sach Ko takes 40 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings as part of a meal. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Pleah Sach Ko?

Yes, within limits. Briefly seared beef, which kills surface bacteria and still works in the dish. Ready-made roasted rice powder from a Southeast Asian shop.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pleah Sach Ko?

Grind it to a coarse powder in a mortar or grinder. It should be gritty rather than fine. Put the sliced beef in a bowl. Pour over the lime juice and add the salt. Turn the slices so every piece is coated.