This is a simple and delicious traditional Cambodian dish famous within Cambodia.
Usually, Cambodian Lok-Lak is made with cubed beef, but this is a vegan version using tofu and tempeh. It is just as delicious, even if you aren't necessarily a vegan or vegetarian.
🥗 Vegan For Your Health 🥗
Traditional-style Khmer Lok-Lak is made with cubed beef, but my family and I are all vegan, so we have created a vegan version that is quite delicious, dare I say even better than Beef Lok-Lak.
My wife Sreypov uses tofu and tempeh in her Lok-Lak recipe. Tofu is easily found in Cambodia, and now tempeh is increasingly common. Tempeh can easily be purchased in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Kampot.
We now live in Suriname, where tempeh is quite common. Tempeh consists of whole cooked soybeans which are held together by a special naturally occuring fungus. It sounds strange, but it is delicious.
If you would like to try tempeh in Cambodia first, go to the Sumatra Restaurant in Phnom Penh, the best Indonesian food in all of Cambodia.
Lime-Pepper Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 lime's juice (or more to taste)
- dash of olive oil
- 1/2 tsp soy sauce
Step 1Crush the garlic along with the salt, sugar and black pepper. |  |
Step 2Add the lemon juice and olive oil, stir. |  |
Step 2Taste it and more salt or lime juice to your liking. |  |
Lok Lak Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 block tempeh
- 1 onion
- 1 bunch lettuce
- 1 tomato
- 1 cucumber
- 3-4 green onions
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch (diluted in 1/2 cup water)
- oil for frying
Step 1Thin slice all the ingredients as shown, mince the garlic and cube the tempeh. |  |
Step 2Arrange the lettuce and other veggies on a plate as shown, because the lok-lok will be put on top of this salad. |  |
Step 3Fry the tempeh and tofu mix til golden brown, keep aside. |  |
Step 4Heat the oil in a wok on medium heat and add the minced garlic. Stir fry a few seconds until fragrant. |  |
Step 5Add the sliced onions and fry another 1-2 minutes. |  |
Step 6Now add the sea salt, brown sugar, soy sauce, black pepper and nutritional yeast flakes. Fry until onions soften. |  |
Step 7Now add the tapioca starch/water mixture and nutritional yeast flakes. (If you don't have nutritional yeast flakes, you can simply add a bit more salt.) |  |
Step 8Bring to a boil and reduce heat until the mixture begins to thicken. Now add the fried tempeh/tofu and cook another 1/2 minute. Remove from heat. |  |
Step 9Gently transfer the hot lok-lak mix onto the arranged salad. Add the fresh green onions for garnish. Enjoy this lok-lak with the lime-pepper sauce from above and some steamed rice. |  |
You can make the traditional beef version if you are a meat-eater, but you will need to add the cubed beef to the wok before the onions. After adding the onions, continue the recipe as usual.
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To make beef soft, please mixed ingredients with beef and keep for a few minute before cooking.
I think that is right, although I haven't eaten meat for at least 20 years. But yes, if you cut the beef into large cubes, it may take several minutes to cook thoroughly.
Ah, finally someone posts about Lok Lak! The infamous Khmer dish. :D Thanks for your great post.
Yeah, it's certainly a national dish, among Amok and Prahok and a few other things. I almost recommend visitors to Cambodian eat lok-lak at least once. Sreypov's lok-lak with tempeh and tofu is next level.
This is my favorite food. Thank you for make me hungry lollz
Thanks for stopping by wondercury. I love my wife's vegan lok-lak. We have the best of both worlds because we are both chefs, but she is a southeast asian chef and i do more south asian food. Sreypov also cooks some amazing Indonesian, Thai and Burmese food.