This lemongrass hen curry takes you on a visit to the border of Cambodia and Thailand, for a fusion of cultures in a spicy, fragrant dish.

Touring in Asia

I’ll always remember the primary time I crossed a border by land in Asia.

Sure, I used to be a bit anxious, secretly praying to get a pleasant officer on the passport management.

But regardless, and most significantly, I found that border areas generally is a fascinating alternative to find out about cultural interplay and its scrumptious culinary penalties.

In July 2023, I made a decision to cross the border from Thailand to Cambodia by land.

The Thai border city, Aranyaprathet, initially appeared to be a typical Thai industrial city. Nonetheless, as I used to be approaching the border, I started to note avenue meals distributors promoting peculiar meals that I’d by no means seen earlier than.

Following the great aromas, I shortly arrived at a typical border market, promoting a novel mix of Thai and Cambodian dishes, greens, and different items.

Since then, I’ve handed by fairly a number of border cities with fascinating culinary areas, providing distinctive dishes that mix flavors from totally different cultures and cuisines.

Pailin, Cambodia

At the moment’s dish comes from Pailin, Cambodia, the nation’s most western province. It’s identified for its scenic views of mountains and plantations.

It’s mentioned that a few of Cambodia’s best spices and low beans are grown in Pailin, within the space generally known as “The Cardamom Mountains”.

Apart from its gorgeous nature, Pailin has a wealthy historical past.

Up to now, attributable to its pure sources, the province has been fought over between native Thai and Khmer kingdoms. It has identified the migration of varied ethnic teams, enriching the province’s cultural sphere.

The largest ethnic minority to reside in Pailin in the present day is the Kola folks, originating from Shan State, Myanmar.

On my journey to Pailin (add hyperlink*), I used to be fortunate sufficient to witness the Kolas’ distinctive tradition, heat hospitality, and scrumptious delicacies.

Cha kroeung satch moan trabsruoy (hen with eggplant)

Cha Kroeung Satch Moan Trabsruoy is a type of dishes that you just by no means get uninterested in.

The title merely means “stir-fried curry paste with hen and Thai eggplant”, but its wealthy and stunning flavors are much more than that.

Cha kroeung is a class of Cambodian dishes which can be based mostly on a stir-fried paste, known as kroeung.

Kroeung pastes usually include aromatics similar to lemongrass, turmeric, kaffir lime, and galangal. Recipes differ by area, ethnicity, and even social standing (royal Khmer delicacies provides dearer spices to the Kroeung, for example).

Tips on how to make cha kroeung, lemongrass hen

When making ready cha kroeung, the paste is first stir-fried in oil or a little bit of coconut milk. This releases its aroma.

Then, some sort of meat is added, together with further aromatics and greens.

They contemplate it a “dry dish”, because the sauce is thick and sticks to the meat. But some variations could embrace kind of sauce.

Regional variations on this Cambodian lemongrass hen

Cha kroeung satch moan trabsruoy is a regional specialty of Western Cambodia. Kola and Khmer locals alike love the flavors. It differs from different regional Cambodian curries in three fundamental standards:

1. The dish is richer in oil and/or coconut milk. You possibly can simply determine it by the skinny layer of fragrant oil coating the entire dish, making it much more interesting and sophisticated in taste.
2. The kroeung used on this recipe is spicier than most Khmer kroeungs.
3. The beneficiant portion of Thai eggplants within the dish is uncommon in Cambodia’s delicacies. Reasonably, they usually add eggplant to village-style soups and relishes for grilled meat, to not stir-fried dishes.

Surprisingly sufficient, whereas among the dish’s traits are considerably international to Cambodian delicacies (particularly among the many nation’s Khmer majority), Burmese delicacies and Thai delicacies are well-known for his or her thick, spicy, and oily curries, and using greens similar to Thai eggplants and holy basil leaves in related dishes.

Apart from the addictive creaminess of the sauce, the crunchiness of the Thai eggplants, and the spiciness of the kroeung, what I like probably the most about this Pailin delicacy is its uniqueness. On account of Pailin’s geography, historical past, and cultural range, a novel and flavorful dish was born. It’s really certainly one of a sort.

Sarah is certainly one of Curious Cuisiniere’s founding duo. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her expertise within the kitchen and in recipe improvement comes from years working in skilled kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels again to create easy-to-make recipes.