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Bai sach chrouk
Bai sach chrouk (បាយសាច់ជ្រូក): Cambodian grilled coconut-garlic pork over rice
Bai sach chrouk, 'rice with pork', is the classic Cambodian street breakfast, grilled over charcoal on pavements in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in the early morning and eaten before work and school. It is a pork dish: thin slices of pork are marinated overnight in coconut milk, garlic and palm sugar, then grilled until caramelised and smoky and served on broken rice with quick-pickled cucumber and carrot and a small bowl of clear broth. Chef's tip: slice the pork thinly, about 5 mm; it marinates faster and chars before it dries out.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the pork
For the pickle
To serve
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ½ lb pork shoulder or neck, boneless with ½ cup coconut milk, 5 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce and ½ tsp black pepper. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
10 minStep 2: Stir ¼ cup rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp salt until dissolved, add 1 cucumber, 1 carrot and 3 ½ oz daikon and leave for at least 30 minutes.
5 minStep 3: Heat a charcoal grill until the coals are covered in grey ash, or heat a grill pan over a medium-high heat. Lift the pork out of the marinade, letting the excess drip off.
15 minStep 4: Grill the slices for 3–4 minutes per side, brushing once with a little marinade in the first minute only, until caramelised and charred at the edges and 145°F inside. Rest for 3 minutes. A common mistake is a very high flame; the sugar burns before the pork cooks, so move it to a cooler part if it blackens.
10 minStep 5: Slice the pork and serve on 1 ⅓ lb broken or jasmine rice, cooked with the pickles and 2 spring onions, with a cup of 2 cups chicken stock alongside and 1 red chilli if you like.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 640 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bai sach chrouk take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of coconut milk?
- Single cream, same amount (not dairy free).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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