A Wok Around Asia Recipe by Chef Chanrith Van of Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap Resort
I can legitimately say that I’ve never looked at an ant (red or otherwise) and wondered what it would taste like. Nonetheless, I wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to try it during my visit to Siem Reap, where it was served as part of a carpaccio-like rare beef salad.
Check out the video, which includes Chef Chanrith Van’s explanation of the use of red ants in Cambodian cooking >>
Khmer Red Ant Beef Salad
INGREDIENTS:
100g aged beef or eye fillet
¼ tsp fresh black peppercorns
1 pinch salt
1 cup olive oil (alt – corn oil, sunflower oil)
50g finely julienned kailan (Chinese broccoli) stem, soaked in ice water
5g pennywort leaves
5g watercress
10g red ants, fried
2 Tbsp Koh Kong dressing
10g red, yellow, pink needle flower
METHOD:
- Season beef with salt for 5 minutes.
- Heat 1 tsp oil to very high heat and sear quickly on both sides to rare. Rest beef for 5 minutes.
- Clean wok, add oil and heat to 170C. Fry red ants until crispy.
- Remove ants and drain on paper towels.
- Clean wok, add oil and heat to very high temperature again; return beef to wok and sear to medium rare. Set aside.
- Remove kailan from iced water and pat dry on paper towels.
- Slice beef very thinly (carpaccio-style) and arrange on plate.
- Top with one tablespoon of koh kong sauce.
- Toss kailan with another tablespoon of sauce, then arrange on the middle of the plate.
- Garnish with flowers, pennywort and watercress.
- Sprinkle with crispy red ant, then serve.
Koh Kong Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
70g red large chillies, deseeded, chopped
7 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bird’s eye chili, chopped
80g white sugar
20ml white vinegar
70ml fish sauce
46ml fresh lime juice
40g sweet chili sauce
3g fine salt
METHOD:
- Pound chillies and garlic into a rough paste with a mortar and pestle.
- Add all the other ingredients, mix well, then transfer into a bowl.
My Wok Around Asia Siem Reap trip was made possible through the support of the following –
