Cambodian Food – Babar Cheam Chrouk (???????????)

Babar Cheam Chrouk is a breakfast staple in Cambodia. Babar translates to rice porridge and Cheam Chrouk is pork blood. There are many variations of this dish which can be made with chicken, pork and even fish. All variations are very delicious and usually served with a side of Cha Kway which many refer to as Chinese donut.

Here’s the list of ingredients to make Babar Cheam Chrouk.

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 stalk of lemongrass
• 3-5 kaffir lime leaves
• 2-3 slices of galangal root
• 2-3 crushed garlic cloves
• 2-3 tablespoons chicken powder
• 2-3 tablespoons sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons salt
• 1/2 cup of dried shrimp
• 1 whole strip of salted turnip
• 3-4 cups jasmine rice
• 1 whole fresh garlic bulb minced
• 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Toppings:
  • Salted soybeans
  • Garlic chili sauce (Sambal Oelek)
  • Black pepper
  • Cilantro
  • Green onion
• Meat toppings:
  • Pork stomach
  • Pork tongue
  • Pork liver
  • Pork blood cake

In a large pot add 4-5 quarts of water. Add in the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal root, garlic cloves, chicken powder, sugar, salt, dried shrimp and salted turnip. Bring to a boil and add the entire chicken. Let the chicken cook for at least 30-45 minutes.

When the chicken is fully cooked take it out of the pot and set it aside to let it cool down so it can be shredded and placed back in the soup.

To prepare the rice it is important to wash and rinse the uncooked jasmine rice at least three times and let it completely dry before moving onto the next step.

In a sauce or frying pan heat up vegetable oil and stir fry the garlic until it's lightly brown. Add in the 3-4 cups of uncooked jasmine rice and stir until the rice looks almost translucent. Add the rice into the soup and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

You can serve the Babar with or without the additional meat toppings but at this point it’s called Babar Mon or chicken porridge.

To cook the additional meats it’s best to boil them in water with a little bit of salt. I usually buy the precooked pork blood to reduce the amount of cooking time. It takes anywhere between 30 minutes to one hour to boil pork stomach, liver and tongue so that it becomes tender. Once cooked you’ll set the meats aside to cool down and then slice them.

Serve the Babar with your choice of meats and toppings and a side of Cha Kway . It’s delicious! Enjoy!

I hope you give this recipe a try and tell us how you like it or if you have your own recipes to share send them our way at info@khmerlife.com.