Prahok Ktis

Ingredients

Prahok

• 3 tbspprahok, fermented fish paste
• 150 mlwater

Kroeung paste

• 3 stalkslemongrass, very finely sliced
• 6garlic cloves
• 4shallots
• 1thumb galangal
• 4kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tspturmeric
• 2dried red chillies, soaked

Meat

• 400 gminced pork, with some fat

Sauce

• 400 mlthick coconut milk
• 2 tbsppalm sugar
• 1 tbspfish sauce
• 2 tbsptamarind paste
• 2fresh chillies, sliced

To serve

• raw vegetables such as cucumber, long beans, cabbage and aubergine
• steamed rice

Directions

1. Put the prahok in a small pan with the water. Bring it to a simmer and cook it for five minutes. Mash it with a spoon as it heats. Strain it through a sieve into a bowl.
2. Press it through with the back of a spoon. Discard the bones and scales left in the sieve. 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.
3. Add the garlic, shallots, lime leaves and soaked chillies. Add the ground turmeric in last. Work it into a completely smooth paste. This takes fifteen or twenty minutes by hand.
4. Heat a little oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add the pounded kroeung paste. Fry it for six to eight minutes, stirring constantly. Add the minced pork to the fried paste. Break it up thoroughly with a spoon. Cook it for eight minutes until no pink remains.
5. Let some of it catch and brown against the pan. Adding the coconut milk needs gentle heat. Pour in the thick coconut milk. Add the strained prahok liquid.
6. Bring it to a bare simmer and never let it boil. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Simmer it gently for fifteen minutes. Taste it carefully as you go along. It should be salty, sweet, sour and savoury together. Add sugar if it is too aggressive.
7. Add tamarind if it tastes flat and heavy. Judging the consistency decides when it is done. Simmer it longer if it is still thin. Add the sliced fresh chillies in the last two minutes. Cut cucumber into thick batons. Cut long beans into short lengths. Quarter small aubergines and slice cabbage into wedges. Everything is served raw and cold.
8. Spoon the dip into a bowl set in the middle of the table. Arrange the raw vegetables on a platter around it. Serve steamed rice alongside it. It keeps for three days in the fridge and reheats well.

Technique

• Simmer and strain the prahok first, since the paste contains bones and scales.
• Fry the kroeung until the oil separates, or the dish tastes harsh and raw.
• Never let the coconut milk boil, as it splits into oil and curds.

Substitutions

• Any fermented fish paste, though prahok is what the dish is built on.
• Minced chicken in place of pork.

Variations

• Made with more chilli, which is common.
• Vegetarian versions exist using fermented soy, though they are not traditional.
• Made thicker and used as a relish rather than a dip.

History

Fermented fish paste simmered with coconut milk, minced pork and kroeung, served as a dip with raw vegetables and rice.

Frequently asked questions

What is Prahok Ktis?

Prahok Ktis is a sauce & condiment from Cambodia: fermented fish and minced pork coconut dip with crunchy vegetables. Fermented fish paste simmered with coconut milk, minced pork and kroeung, served as a dip with raw vegetables and rice.

How long does Prahok Ktis take to make?

Prahok Ktis takes 30 min of preparation and 35 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings as a dip. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Prahok Ktis?

Yes, within limits. Any fermented fish paste, though prahok is what the dish is built on. Minced chicken in place of pork.

What is the most important thing to get right in Prahok Ktis?

Bring it to a bare simmer and never let it boil. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and tamarind. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Simmer it gently for fifteen minutes. Taste it carefully as you go along. It should be salty, sweet, sour and savoury together. Add sugar if it is too aggressive.