Samlor machu

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

Samlor machu

A bowl of samlor machu kroeung.
Alternative names	samlar machu, salaw machu, somlor machu
Type	Soup
Place of origin	Cambodia
Main ingredients	Tamarind, prahok, vegetables, fruits, herbs
Variations	samlor machu kroeung, samlor machu yuon, samlor machu srae, samlor machu ktis
Similar dishes	Canh chua[1]
Media: Samlor machu

The sour flavour of the soup comes from the use of tamarind (អម្ពិល), however variations also include other tangy fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes (ប៉េងប៉ោះ), pineapples (ម្នាស់), water spinach (ត្រកួន), leaf celery, as well as Tiliacora triandra leaves (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 (សម្លរម្ជូរយួន) with meat, such as chicken or fish, tomatoes, pineapple, and other vegetables and herbs.^[2]
• Samlor machu srae (សម្លម្ជូរស្រែ) with fresh and dried fish, crab and green papaya;
• Samlor machu kroeung (សម្លរម្ជូរគ្រឿង):

• Samlor machu kroeung sach ko (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 (សម្លរម្ជូរខ្ទិះ​) with pork, pineapple and coconut milk.^[6]

References

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