Samlor machu explained

Samlor machu
Alternate Name:	samlar machu, salaw machu, somlor machu
Country:	Cambodia
Type:	Soup
Main Ingredient:	Tamarind, prahok, vegetables, fruits, herbs
Variations:	samlor machu kroeung, samlor machu yuon, samlor machu srae, samlor machu ktis
Similar Dish:	Canh chua^[1]

Samlor machu (Central Khmer: សម្លម្ជូរ – 'sour soup') is a Khmer term for a category of sour soups.

The sour flavour of the soup comes from the use of tamarind (Central Khmer: អម្ពិល), however variations also include other tangy fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes (Central Khmer: ប៉េងប៉ោះ), pineapples (Central Khmer: ម្នាស់), water spinach (Central Khmer: ត្រកួន), leaf celery, as well as Tiliacora triandra leaves (Central Khmer: ស្លឹកវល្លិយាវ).^[2]

Meat in this type of soup is usually that of either chicken, fish, pork, beef, lobster or crab. In the U.S. and Canada, instead of using fresh tamarind like in Cambodia, a powdered tamarind soup base mix is also used by the diaspora. One popular brand is manufactured by Knorr.^[3]

Types

There are many types of Khmer sour soups such as:

• Samlor machu yuon (Central Khmer: សម្លរម្ជូរយួន) with meat, such as chicken or fish, tomatoes, pineapple, and other vegetables and herbs.^[2]
• Samlor machu srae (Central Khmer: សម្លម្ជូរស្រែ) with fresh and dried fish, crab and green papaya;
• Samlor machu kroeung (Central Khmer: សម្លរម្ជូរគ្រឿង):

• Samlor machu kroeung sach ko (Central Khmer: សម្លរម្ជូរគ្រឿងសាច់គោ) with beef tenderloin, yellow kroeung, water spinach, fish sauce and/or prahok, as well as green beans, and eggplants.^[4]

• Samlor machu kroeung sach chrouk with pork ribs, yellow kroeung, watercress, wax gourd, fish sauce and/or prahok.^[5]
• Samlor machu ktis (Central Khmer: សម្លរម្ជូរខ្ទិះ​) with pork, pineapple and coconut milk.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Book: Lee . Jonathan H. X. . Nadeau . Kathleen M. . Encyclopedia of Asian American folklore and folklife . . 2011 . 199 . 978-0-313-35066-5 . Somluar machu is the Khmer version of the Southern Vietnamese hot and sour soup canh chua..
2. Book: Choudhary, Shiv Shanker Tiwary & P.S. . Encyclopaedia Of Southeast Asia And Its Tribes (Set Of 3 Vols.) . 1 January 2009 . Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd . 978-81-261-3837-1 . 191.
3. Book: The Elephant Walk Cookbook: Cambodian Cuisine from the Nationally Acclaimed Restaurant . Longteine De Monteiro . 1998 . . 306.
4. Web site: Dunston . Lara . 6 April 2020 . Sour Beef Soup With Morning Glory – Samlor Machou Kroeung Sach Ko . Grantourismo Travels . 20 July 2021.
5. Book: Edelstein, Sari . 2010 . Food, Cuisine, And Cultural Competency For Culinary, Hospitality, And Nutrition Professionals . . 255 . 978-0-763-75965-0.
6. Web site: Dunston . Lara . 14 April 2020 . Cambodian Sour Soup With Pork, Pineapple and Coconut Milk Recipe . Grantourismo Travels . 20 July 2021.