Here is one of the emblematic dishes of Cambodia: beef lok lak. Lok lak or loc lac (ឡុកឡាក់) appears on the menu of most restaurants in Cambodia but also abroad. It is indeed a dish that delights the palate of Westerners and has therefore exported very well.
It consists in beef cut into pieces, marinated and then sautéed in a wok before being served on a bed of green salad with slices of tomatoes and cucumber that bring freshness to the dish.
It is accompanied by rice as well as a lime and black pepper sauce in which the meat can be dipped before eating. A culinary journey!
To complete the trip to Cambodia, I suggest you also try kdam chaa, stir-fried crab with green pepper, bai sach chrouk, grilled pork rice, ang dtray-meuk, grilled squid, or the famous amok trei, fish with coconut milk and lemongrass steamed in a banana leaf.
What is the origin of lok lak?
Lok lak is so popular in Cambodia that you could think it is originally from there, but it actually comes from Vietnam, where it is called bò lúc lắc. Bò means “beef” and lúc lắc means “stir” or “shake”. This term evokes the movement of the diced meat in the wok.
Bò lúc lắc is an example of the French influence exercised during the period of Indochinese colonization. In particular, beef was introduced to Vietnamese cuisine, as well as green salad, which replaces aromatic herbs.
Sometimes, the beef was accompanied by fries, for a very French variant but it is rather rice that was served, with tomato and onions rather than plain. Because of the use of chopsticks in Vietnamese cuisine, the steak in the bò lúc lắc is cut into pieces.
The other influence you can find in this dish is that of China, which seems obvious when you know that Vietnam remained under Chinese rule for 1000 years from 111 BC until 938 AD.
The Chinese culinary influence is therefore necessarily multiple in Vietnamese cuisine. For the bò lúc lắc, it is found in the marinade since it consists in particular of soy sauce, a typical Chinese condiment.
Finally, bò lúc lắc traveled to neighboring Cambodia where it was slightly adapted and eventually became even more popular than in Vietnam!
Cambodian version of lok lak
In Cambodia, potato starch or cornstarch, paprika, tomato coulis and fish sauce (called teuk trey in Khmer) are added to the lok lak marinade.
This fish sauce, better known by its Vietnamese name nuoc-mâm, is made by fermenting fish for 12 months in jars or wooden barrels in the sun.
A Cambodian variant is to serve lok lak with a fried egg.
It is also quite possible to cook lok lak with chicken, pork, or shrimp but the traditional version is definitely prepared with beef.
I remember that beef is cut into strips in Cambodia unlike in Vietnam where it is diced. I recommend that you make slices of about ¼ inch thick then cut them in strips of about 1 inch. To make it easy, you can firm up the meat beforehand by placing it in the freezer.
Another advice for the meat: do not cook too much, as it must be deliciously tender!
What is Kampot pepper?
Another ingredient is very specific to lok lak: Kampot pepper (ម្រេច mréch) or seaside pepper.
This spice is a true pepper, growing on a tropical liana, called piper nigrum, which is grown in the coastal provinces of Kampot and Kep in southern Cambodia. It is considered one of the best peppers in the world.
For lok lak, people use black pepper that enhances the red meat. It develops powerful and delicate aromas with floral notes of eucalyptus and fresh mint.
This particular flavor is due to the unique ancestral way of cultivating pepper in this region. It was the first Cambodian agricultural product to obtain a PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) on April 2, 2010.
Kampot pepper was already grown in the 13th century. However, its production did not develop until the late nineteenth century when the Sultan of Indonesia, then the world’s largest producer of pepper, set fire to the pepper plantations of his country to prevent the Dutch settlers from exploiting them. Cambodia would eventually take over.
The French colonists then favored this cultivation in order to compete with the production of pepper in India, orchestrated by the English.
This exceptional product almost disappeared following the Khmer Rouge’s takeover in 1975, which converted the pepper fields into rice fields.
The post Khmer Rouge period saw the slow recovery of its production by some peasants, which spread again in the provinces of Kampot and Kep.
Niang bai! Bon appetit (in Khmer)!
This recipe is validated by our expert in Cambodian cuisine, Chef Pisith Theam. Pisith is the Executive Chef at the Park Hyatt in Siem Reap.
Lok Lak
Ingredients
- 1½ lb beef steak , sliced
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 scallions , chopped
For the marinade
- 3 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 cloves garlic , chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons fish sauce
- ¼ teaspoon Kampot pepper
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon chicken broth powder
- 2 teaspoons potato starch (or cornstarch)
- 3 teaspoons paprika
For the sauce
- Juice of 5 limes
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic , chopped
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon Kampot pepper
Sides
- A few leaves lettuce
- 2 tomatoes , sliced
- Steamed white rice
Instructions
- Mix all the marinade ingredients in a salad bowl, add the meat and stir well.
- Marinate the meat for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- Heat the 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok or pan and fry the chopped scallions over medium heat until they turn light brown.
- Add the meat, mix well and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes.
- In a bowl, stir all the ingredients of the lok lak sauce vigorously.
- Prepare large plates.
- In each plate, place a bed of lettuce leaves and a few slices of tomato.
- Place the meat on the lettuce leaves and sliced tomatoes.
- Serve with steamed white rice.
- Place a small bowl of lok lak sauce on the side or the center of each plate.
Traveling was Sabrina’s trigger for a frenetic desire to know and taste everything! Every day, she cooks dishes for children for a small canteen promoting good taste and food ethics, by making them travel and discover new flavors. She likes to find the special ingredient and story behind a recipe. The culture of a country is reflected via its cuisine!
Sary Dorl says
This dish is great! I don’t add the salt because the first time I made it was too salty. Now it comes out just right. Thank you so much!
Mike Benayoun says
You’re welcome, Sary!
Bob Peeters says
This recipe calls for coarsely ground black kampot pepper, to be precise. No paprika, salt or chicken broth powder in the marinade and max 2 Tbs of soy sauce. This recipe is way too salty. No fish sauce and raw garlic in the pepper dip and less or no oil. Triple or quadrurple the amount of pepper for the dip. After you served the rice and salad on a plate, between them you put thinly sliced raw onion and spoon the piping hot beef straight from the pan on it. And you ALWAYS serve a sunny side up egg on top of your rice. THAT is beef loc lac. There are VERY few places even in Cambodia where they know how to properly cook this dish. No offense but this really aint cuttin it. I’ve been living in Cambodia for almost 2 decades I know what im talking about.
emma says
this guy did a great job on his recipe bob, why don’t you start a blog and put the right way to do it on yours 🙂
Dan Achiroae says
cross the street from east west international school (phnom penh) there is a diner where they serve loklak properly. with the sunny side up fried egg and all.