Cambodian Lok Lak

Description:

A delicious recipe for chicken, beef or shrimp found all over Cambodia, a favorite while I was traveling there. The original recipe was taken by someone else from the "Smokin'Pot" restaurant and cooking school in Battambang. It's been modified to get the flavour of my own Lok Lak experience in Siem Reap. Thanks to Mr Phat for introducing me to this dish.

Ingredients:

These ingredients serve 1, so multiply up as you wish.
- 150g chicken breast, beef, even shrimp – sliced (shrimp would not be sliced)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1/3 teaspoon chilli sauce (optional, preferably vietnamese or chinese chili sauce)
- 1 teaspoon oil + extra for cooking
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1/2 an onion, chopped
- A few lettuce leaves
- Rice

For the pepper sauce:
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed back pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1/4 of a lime

Preparation:

- Mix sugar, salt, pepper, oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup and garlic in a mixing bowl, add meat and coat thouroughly. Marinate 30 to 60 minutes.
- Mix salt, sugar, pepper and garlic in small bowls (pepper sauce for each person)
- Add oil to a wok, sautee onions until brown and add chicken, stir fry 5 to 10 minutes, until done.
- Mix in chili sauce as desired.
- Prepare serving plates with rice and a bed of lettuce
- Just before serving, squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime into the pepper sauce and stir lightly.
- Serve chicken over lettuce with pepper sauce on side. The chicken is eaten wrapped in a lettuce leaf and dipped into the pepper sauce.

For a little more punch, add chili sauce to marinade rather than while cooking and marinate an extra 30 minutes.