Cambodia Recipe: The Grandma’s (Kanary’s Mom’s) Delicious Fried Fish with Tomato Sauce

Last time I was in Cambodia, Kanary told me that her mom, aka The Grandma, wanted to invite me over for dinner. She had been to the market and bought a particularly nice fish, and she wanted to cook Trey Chien Chuon (also Trey Jien Juon) for me, so I could get the recipe. It’s such a tasty dish! It’s not too spicy, and the sauce is delicious. The Grandma got the recipe from her parents, so it’s tried and tested through generations, and here it is, for you to try:)

Trey Chien Chuon means fried fish in Khmer. The fried fish is typically cooked in a sauce made with garlic, palm sugar and fish sauce, but there are several ways to make trey chien chuon. When I was in Takeo the last time, Linda cooked Trey Chien Chuon with ginger and fermented soybeans which was also delicious.

Notes

The recipe uses The Grandma’s Kampot sauce (recipe here) as seasoning, but if you haven’t had time to make some, you can also use fish sauce and add an extra clove of chopped garlic, juice from one lime, some sugar, and a bit of finely chopped chili instead. Though now when I think about it, you might as well just make the sauce:)

Palm sugar: In Cambodia, you can buy liquid palm sugar, but I haven’t seen that outside Cambodia. You can use solid palm sugar (grated) or regular white granulated sugar instead.

Trey Chien Chuon is typically served as part of a meal with rice on the side.

The sauce is made with MSG, which is a controversial ingredient in the US, but which is a very common ingredient in Cambodian cooking. You can leave it out if you prefer.

In the video below, some of you might notice the shrimp on the plate with chopped tomatoes. I double-checked with Kanary, and the shrimp got there by accident, it’s not meant to be in the recipe:)

There’s also a shorter version of the video:

Watch the short version of the video here: Recipe: The Grandma’s Delicious Fried Fish >>

Cambodia Recipe: The Grandma’s (Kanary’s Mom’s) Delicious Fried Fish with Tomato Sauce

Recipe by The Grandma (Kanary’s mom)

Course: DinnerCuisine: Khmer, Cambodia

Servings

2

servings

Last time I was in Cambodia, Kanary told me that her mom, aka The Grandma, wanted to invite me over for dinner. She had been to the market and bought a particularly nice fish, and she wanted to cook for me, so I could get the recipe. It’s such a tasty dish! It’s not too spicy, and the sauce is delicious.

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Ingredients

• 1 fish, cleaned. Any white fish such as sea bass, tilapia, or snapper.

• oil for frying

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 tablespoons spring onions, chopped

• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped

• 3 tablespoons The Grandma’s Kampot Sauce (recipe here)

• 1-2 cups water

• 1 teaspoon MSG

• 1 teaspoon palm sugar

Directions

• Prepare the fish
• Cut the fish into smaller, serving-sized pieces.
• Heat enough oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat to fry the fish.
• Once the oil is hot, carefully add the fish pieces and fry until golden brown and cooked through. This should take about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the pieces.
• Remove the fried fish from the pan and set it aside on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess o
• Make the sauce
• In the same pan, remove some of the oil, leaving about 1-2 tablespoons.
• Add the chopped garlic to the pan and fry until fragrant and lightly golden, about 1 minute.
• Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and fry while stirring, allowing the tomatoes to soften and release their juices. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
• Add The Grandma’s Kampot sauce.
• Gradually add the water, a little at a time, while stirring to create a sauce. Let the mixture simmer for a couple of minutes until slightly thickened.
• Combine Fish and Sauce
• Carefully return the fried fish to the pan, placing it in the sauce. Let it cook in the sauce for about 2-3 minutes, allowing the fish to absorb the flavors and heat through.
• Add spring onions.
• Add MSG and palm sugar to the pan. Stir gently to dissolve and distribute the seasonings evenly throughout the sauce.
• Taste the sauce and see if it needs more seasoning or water. If the flavor is too intense, add a little more water. If it needs more depth, adjust the seasoning with additional MSG, or more palm sugar, according to your preference.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Serve immediately, with white rice on the side.