Alternative names | Amok trei, amok trey |
---|---|
Type | Steamed curry |
Place of origin | Cambodia[1][2][3] |
Serving temperature | Hot |
Main ingredients | Goby fish, snakehead fish or catfish, yellow or green kroeung, coconut cream or coconut milk, eggs |
Fish amok or amok trei (Khmer: អាម៉ុកត្រី [ʔaːmok trəj]) is a Khmer steamed fish curry (amok) with a mousse-like consistency, considered one of Cambodia's national dishes. Fish amok is believed to have been a royal Khmer dish dating back to the Khmer Empire,[1][2] although some question it originating in Cambodia.[4]
If the description of fish amok sounds like Thai cuisine (arguably the most popular Southeast Asian cuisine in the world), that's because many elements of today's Thai cooking was influenced by Khmer cooking techniques and principles perfected over centuries.. (...) A dish that exemplifies Khmer influence, is fish amok, a steamed snakehead fish curry that is redolent of lemongrass, galangal and coconut aromas.
The origins of fish amok are a source of regional debate. Dishes of this kind aren't unique to Cambodia. Malaysia and Indonesia boast the similar otak otak and Thailand cooks a spicier hor mok but neither nation embraces them with the passion of Cambodia. "Amok" in the Cambodian language, Khmer, only refers to the dish whereas in Thai, "hor mok" translates as "bury wrap," suggesting amok may have come from Cambodia's neighbor.