Prahok Ktis (ប្រហុកខ្ទិះ) — Cambodian Coconut Pork Dip

• 90 gprahok fermented fish paste (boneless or finely minced)
• 450 gground pork (20 percent fat is traditional and stays tender)
• 400 mlunsweetened coconut milk
• 120 mlcoconut cream
• 18 gpalm sugar (finely shaved)
• 15 mlfish sauce
• 10 mltamarind concentrate
• 80 gpea eggplants (optional but common in Cambodian home cooking)
• 3 leafmakrut lime leaves (very finely sliced)
• 30 mlneutral oil
• 3 stalklemongrass (tender lower 10 cm only, thinly sliced)
• 1 inchgalangal (peeled and thinly sliced)
• 1 inchfresh turmeric (peeled and sliced)
• 5 clovegarlic
• 4shallots (peeled and sliced)
• 4dried red chiles (seeded and soaked in hot water for 15 minutes)
• 2 tspmakrut lime zest
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 2cucumber (cut into batons)
• 200 glong beans (cut into 8 cm lengths)
• 8green cabbage leaves
• 4Thai eggplants (quartered)
• 720 gsteamed jasmine rice

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the red kroeung first because the lemongrass and galangal need time to break down finely. Pound the lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, garlic, shallots, soaked dried chiles, makrut lime zest, and salt in a mortar for 10 minutes, or process them with 30 ml neutral oil until the paste is very fine and fragrant.

2. 2

   Prepare the prahok so it melts smoothly into the coconut sauce rather than remaining in harsh clumps. If the paste is coarse, mince it very finely with a knife, then mash it with 60 ml of the coconut milk until it forms a loose, salty slurry.

3. 3

   Heat a heavy saucepan over medium heat and add the kroeung paste. Fry it for 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the oil stains orange-red and the raw smell of lemongrass and shallot softens into a sweet aroma.

4. 4

   Add the ground pork and press it into the hot kroeung with a wooden spoon. Cook for 6 minutes, breaking up the meat thoroughly, until no pink remains and the pork has absorbed the aromatic paste.

5. 5

   Stir in the prahok slurry, the remaining coconut milk, coconut cream, palm sugar, fish sauce, and tamarind concentrate. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, not a hard boil, because steady bubbling keeps the coconut rich and prevents the pork from toughening.

6. 6

   Add the pea eggplants and finely sliced makrut lime leaves, then simmer uncovered for 12 minutes. Stir often until the sauce thickens to a spoonable dip and the prahok flavor becomes rounded, savory, and aromatic rather than sharp.

7. 7

   Taste the finished prahok ktis and adjust only with measured seasoning if needed: add 5 ml fish sauce for more salt, 5 g palm sugar for more sweetness, or 5 ml tamarind concentrate for more acidity. The final flavor should be rich from coconut, deeply savory from prahok, and balanced enough to eat with plain vegetables.

8. 8

   Spoon the hot dip into a serving bowl and arrange cucumber, long beans, cabbage leaves, Thai eggplants, and steamed jasmine rice around it. Serve immediately while the coconut sauce is warm and glossy, using the vegetables to scoop the dip in the Cambodian family-table style.