''Samlor kako'' (, , ) or Cambodian ratatouille is a traditional Cambodian soup considered one of

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

's national dishes. ''Samlar kako'' consists of green ''kroeung'', ''

prahok ''Prahok'' (; , ) is a salted and fermented fish paste (usually of mudfish) used in Cambodian cuisine as a seasoning or a condiment. It originated as a way of preserving fish during the time of the year when fresh fish was not available in a ...

'', roasted ground rice,

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

, pork or chicken, vegetables, fruits and herbs. The dish has been compared to

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

ratatouille Ratatouille ( , ; ) is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables that originated in Nice and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' (). Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include tomato, garlic ...

or ''

pot-au-feu (, ; ) is a French cuisine, French dish of slowly boiled meat and vegetables, usually served as two courses: first the broth (''bouillon'') and then the meat (''bouilli'') and vegetables. The dish is familiar throughout France and has many r ...

''. Longteine De Monteiro's 1998 The Elephant Walk Cookbook recommends using Cornish hen or even free-range

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

or quail meat instead of the traditional catfish for the soup.

In folklore

The soup is featured in a famous Khmer folk legend called "Young black lady's magic formula for a love charm" (). In the legend, a young crown prince Guj Monoraj of a kingdom called ''Aranh Panh-chak Seila'' ("forest country that follows the principle of five virtues") goes hunting in a forest and gets lost while chasing after an

antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...

. Eventually, the prince makes his way out of the forest, but exhausted, scratched and bleeding passes out on horseback while heading towards a village. The unconscious prince is carried inside by an elderly couple who live with their daughter, a beautiful young girl called Neang Khmao (, ). Eventually, the prince regains

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is awareness of a state or object, either internal to oneself or in one's external environment. However, its nature has led to millennia of analyses, explanations, and debate among philosophers, scientists, an ...

, but is still very weak, so the family nurses him back to health. One day, the prince sees Neang Khmao and her mother preparing a soup he has never seen before that seemingly contains every single vegetable, Asked what kind of soup is it, Neang Khmao replies that it is a "soup of hundred ingredients" (''samlor muoy roy mouk''). The prince tastes it and it is the most delicious soup he has ever had. Meanwhile, the prince's parents have sent a search party that eventually finds the prince at an

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...

in the company of Neang Khmao and escorts them both back to the

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

where the prince reveals his true identity. Two weeks later, the prince still cannot forget Neang Khmao, so he persuades his parents to go with him to Neang Khmao and taste the soup. In an entourage of

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

s and

servant A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or care for children and elderly ...

s they travel back to Neang Khmao. By the next morning after arriving, they have gathered all the ingredients necessary and start preparing the soup. Three cooks are assigned to prepare the soup, constantly stirring it as it cooks. When the soup is ready, the king tastes it and exclaims that it is delicious, but still seems to be lacking something. He pours some toasted rice in the soup from a plate on a

rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan (from Malay language, Malay: ''rotan''), is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the clos ...

strap left out for

sparrows Sparrow may refer to: Birds * Old World sparrows, family Passeridae ** House sparrow, or ''Passer domesticus'' * New World sparrows, family Passerellidae * two species in the Passerine family Estrildidae: ** Java sparrow ** Timor sparrow * Hed ...

and tastes it again, concluding that now it is perfect. The king asks for the soup's name and is told by the villagers that it is called the "soup of hundred ingredients", to which the king replies that the soup should be called the "stirred soup" (''samlor kako'') because everyone was always stirring the soup and since then ''samlor muoy roy mouk'' has been called ''samlor kako''.

References

{{Cambodian cuisine Cambodian soups Vegetable dishes National dishes