Lok Lak

One of the most popular dishes in Cambodia is this delicious stir fry, spicy and vibrant, which is easy to make and always a winner! It may surprise some to see tomato ketchup in the recipe, but this is quite common in Asian cooking, and it works. It is best to get the best steak you can afford for this dish, and it is a good idea to have everything for serving, such as the salad on the plates, ready before cooking as you will want to get your Lok Lak from the wok to the table and the hungry waiting mouths as quickly as possible.

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Ingredients

3 tsp Spice Mountain lok lak spices
500g beef steak, cut into strips
2 tsp coconut or vegetable oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, crushed
A lettuce leaves (Cos lettuce works best)
3 tomatoes, sliced medium thick
1 small onion, sliced thinly
½ cucumber, sliced

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Method

1

Marinate the beef with the soy sauce, sugar and ketchup for at least 30mins.

2

Heat the oil in a wok, then saute the garlic until golden brown, being very careful not to let it burn. Add the marinated meat and stir fry for 5mins, or less if you want the beef more rare.

3

Combine the lok lak spices with enough water to make a sauce which will stick to whatever is dipped in it.

4

On a plate, arrange a layer of lettuce followed by some sliced tomatoes, the onions and the cucumbers, then place the beef over the top.

5

Now pour a good drizzle of the dipping sauce over the beef, and your Lok Lak is ready.

6

It is delicious served with plain steamed rice; interestingly, bistros in Phnom Penh serve the dish 'a la Americain', when it comes with chips and a fried egg on the side!

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