A Wok Around Asia Recipe by Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap Resort
Beef Lok Lak is a famous Khmer dish that is ubiquitous on restaurant menus and at street stalls all over Siem Reap. Chef Chanrith Van of Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap Resort takes it up a notch by applying his classical culinary training to this local favourite; he uses local beef, and ages it in-house to achieve a melt-in-your-mouth texture. This in turn allows him to cut the beef in cubes (Lok Lak literally means “cube” in Cambodian), rather than slice it thinly, which is how most places serve it nowadays.
Watch the full video to see how it’s made >>
Recipe for Beef Lok Lak (4 parts) –
1) Beef Lok Lak
(Portion size: 1)
INGREDIENTS:
130g aged beef or rib eye
Pinch of salt
1 tsp olive oil
4 Tbsps Lok Lak Sauce
1 quail egg
5 shallots, sliced
5 cherry tomatoes, sliced
10g watercress
5g fresh green peppercorns
5g edible red & yellow flowers
METHOD:
- Season beef with salt, set aside for 5 minutes.
- Heat wok to a very high heat, add oil and sear beef on both sides until medium rare. Rest for 5 minutes.
- Cut beef into 1.5cm cubes.
- Fry quail egg sunny side up.
- Wash wok, heat and add oil. Add Lok Lak sauce and beef, and fry briefly until beef is medium cooked.
- Spoon beef on plate, drizzle with Lok Lak sauce, then arrange shallots, tomatoes, leaves, peppercorns and flowers, and top with a teaspoon of lime and pepper dip.
2) Lime & Pepper Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1 green lime, medium
1 tsp fresh crushed black peppercorns
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp chicken seasoning powder
¼ tsp fried garlic
METHOD:
Combine ingredients and mix well. Make to order.
3) Aged Beef
(Chef Chanrith Van would not recommend doing this if you don’t have the proper equipment for it. He suggests using rib eye steak instead of ageing the beef yourself.)
INGREDIENTS:
500g fresh beef tenderloin, cut into 130g portions
Vacuum bag & sealer
METHOD:
- Place beef in vacuum bag and seal using vacuum machine.
- Hang beef in refrigerator at 0-2’C for 7-14 days.
4) Lok Lak Sauce
INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp corn oil
5g garlic clove, thinly sliced
2.5g white onion, finely chopped
0.5 tsp kampot peppercorn, crushed
10g palm sugar
18g oyster sauce
¼ tsp soya sauce
2 tsps tomato ketchup
¼ tsp dark (thick) soya sauce
3 Tbsps chicken stock
¼ tsp chicken seasoning powder
2 tsps extra corn oil
METHOD:
- Over medium heat in wok, add oil, garlic and onion. Saute until golden in colour.
- Add black crushed pepper and palm sugar; cook until sugar is caramelised and golden in colour.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer; finish with oil, then cool down. Shelf life 6 days.
* Substitute palm sugar with white sugar if unavailable
My Wok Around Asia Siem Reap trip was made possible through the support of the following –
