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More Khmer Foods
Khmer
Food Ingredients
Kroeung is the base flavor of many
Khmer dishes, often being dubbed with the "Kroeung" suffix. similar in
form and function to Thai curry pastes. There are many ingredients that
can be pounded into the herb paste, but the eight most commonly used are
Lemon grass, Kaffir lime zest and leaves, Galangal, Turmeric, Rhizome,
Garlic, Shallots, and Dried Red Chillies. This herbal paste is essential
in order to create the authentic flavour for preparing Khmer dishes.
Tirk Krueng, vegetable platter with prahok kroeung dipping paste.
Kroeung has two main categories: Individual Kroeung and Royal Kroeung.
Individual Kroeung are unique dishes which may call for extra
ingredients to be blended in. Royal Kroeung on the other hand includes
additional herbs, such as kaffir lime leaves. Kroeung can be further
distinguished by the dishes' colors, which are yellow, green and red.
The Color Kroeung are commonly used to make stuffings, soup, and
stir-fry.
Individual Kroueng
Kroeung that are pounded for specific single dishes or have only one
unique use falls into this category. Individual Kroeung also consists of
extra ingredients not found in its base recipe. Somlar Kako, for
example, requires roasted ground rice for the smoky flavor of the soup.
The Kroeung in Amok is considered an Individual Kroeung since it uses
the red kroeung base but omits Turmeric in place of Kaffir lime leaves.
It is also worth noting that many Kroeung recipes, specifically for
curries, requires whole spices to be grounded with the herb paste. Curry
powder can also be used in place of the whole spices. These types of
Kroeung are also considered as Individual Kroeung because many of these
curries are exclusively used in the respective curry for which it is
specifically made.
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