Amok Trey — Fish Amok Steamed in Banana Leaf
អាម៉ុកត្រី
Cambodia's national dish: freshwater fish folded into coconut and yellow kroeung, steamed to a custard inside a banana-leaf cup. The Siem Reap way.
By Cambodian Cookbook Kitchen · May 18, 2026
សៀមរាប Siem Reap & AngkorAngkor era, 802–1431
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Intermediate
If Cambodia has a national dish, it is amok — fish suspended in coconut and yellow kroeung, steamed to the wobble of a savoury custard inside a cup of banana leaf. It belongs to the whole country, but Siem Reap claims it hardest, and not without reason: this is lake food, built on the freshwater fish of the Tonlé Sap and the aromatics the Angkorian markets already sold when Zhou Daguan walked them in 1296. The technique is old and specific. Steaming, not simmering, is what separates amok from a coconut curry, and the egg is what separates a custard from a soup. Every version drifts — more prahok here, a bitter leaf there — but the trembling set is non-negotiable.
The trick the first-timer misses is that amok is a texture before it is a flavour. Fold the egg gently and in one direction so it thickens rather than scrambles; keep the steam low and patient; and use coconut cream thick enough to stand a spoon. The bed of slightly bitter leaves underneath is not decoration but ballast, a green counterweight to all that sweet richness. Crown it with a stripe of coconut cream and a few threads of lime leaf and chilli, and you have the dish that put Khmer cooking on the map — soft, fragrant, faintly floral, and quietly, unmistakably of the lake.
The egg is not a curry thickener; it is what turns amok from soup into custard. Fold it, do not beat it, and steam gently or it will scramble and weep.
ពាក្យពីចុងភៅ · A word from the kitchen
Ingredientsគ្រឿងផ្សំ
Serves 4
០ of ១៣ gathered
The amok
To finish
The cups
Methodវិធីធ្វើ
Step 1: Build the coconut base
Warm half the coconut cream in a bowl and whisk in the kroeung, prahok, fish sauce, and palm sugar until smooth and fragrant. Taste: it should read salty, sweet, and lemongrass-forward, a shade stronger than you want the finished dish.
Step 2: Fold in fish and egg
Add the fish and the rest of the coconut cream, then fold in the egg and rice flour in one direction only. Stir gently for a few minutes until the mixture turns glossy and thick enough to coat the fish like a heavy cream.
Step 3: Line and fill the cups
Lay a few blanched cabbage leaves in each banana-leaf cup, spoon the amok on top, and leave a finger of space at the rim. Set the cups in a steamer, cover, and steam over gentle heat for about twenty-five minutes.
Step 4: Set, top, and rest
The amok is done when it has set to a trembling custard and no longer looks wet. Spoon over the reserved coconut cream, scatter lime-leaf and chilli, and steam two minutes more. Rest five minutes before serving with rice.
ឧបករណ៍ · The tools
Equipment
Granite mortar & pestle
ត្បាល់THE Cambodian tool. Kroeung is pounded, never blended — the stone bruises fibre and oil out of lemongrass and galangal in a way a blade only chops. Buy the heaviest one you can lift.
Shop on Amazon →Tiered steamer
សម្ភារៈចំហុយStacked tiers for amok cups, steamed cakes, and fish — gentle, even heat that sets custards without breaking them. A wide pot with a rack stands in.
Shop on Amazon →
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Questions from the kitchen
Why did my amok turn out watery instead of set like custard?
Two usual culprits: the heat was too high, which scrambles the egg and squeezes out liquid, or the coconut cream was too thin. Steam gently, use the thick cream from the top of the can, and give it the full time. A teaspoon of rice flour is honest insurance.
I can't get prahok. What now?
A teaspoon of good anchovy paste or a splash of fish sauce with a pinch of shrimp paste will carry the savoury weight. It is a polite stranger doing prahok's job — the dish will be lovely, just less deep in the back of the throat.
Do I have to use banana leaf?
No — ramekins work and hold their shape better. But the leaf perfumes the custard faintly and makes amok look like amok. Soften squares over a flame until pliable, pin them into cups, and you have the real thing.
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