Lok Lak Salad
This traditional Cambodian dish is fresh and exciting with a lot of garlic and citrus. Traditionally, thin slices of beef would be used but we decided to give a vegetarian twist. We replaced the sliced beef with soy curls. I find our version to be an improvement on the dish.
Salad Ingredients
- 2 cups soy curls
- 4 cups spring mix
- 1 – 2 tomato sliced
- 1/2 small onion julienne
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce or mushroom oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp sweet soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1/4 cup water
Dipping Sauce Ingredients
- 4 – 5 cloves of garlic, finely diced
- 2 tsp light fish sauce or 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Thai red chili pepper (optional)
Prepare the Dipping sauce
- Combine the Dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl
Prepare the plate
- Spread spring mix on a large flat plate.
- Slice tomato and spread on top of the spring mix.
- Slice onion and spread on top of the tomato.
Prepare the Soy Curls
- Soak soy curls in hot water for 2-5 minutes.
- Drain the water from the soy curls.
- Squeeze the excess water from the soy curls.
- Add salt, pepper and oil to the soy curls. Coat well.
- In hot pan, on high heat, sauté soy curls 1-2 minute on each side until golden brown. Then turn off stove.
- In a small bowl, add corn starch and water. Set it aside.
- Turn the stove back on to medium high heat.
- Add oyster sauce and sweet soy sauce to the soy curl.
- Sauté for 5 seconds. Now add the mixed corn starch. The corn starch thickens fast, so stir for 3 seconds and take off the stove immediately.
- Garnish with chopped scallion and a little bit of pepper.
- Serve with steamed white rice or eat by itself.
How to eat this dish
- Pick a piece of soy curl, tomato with a little bit of salad and put it on your plate. Only pick up an amount that will fit in your mouth in a single bite.
- Spoon a little bit of dipping sauce onto your bite of the salad.
- Pick up the bite and eat it.
- Eat a small bite of Rice.
