Recipe: Red Kampot Pepper Chicken (Kampot Red)

Cambodian cuisine is known for its authenticity and uniqueness. It is packed with super delicious ingredients – like lemongrass, garlic and turmeric – that are known to support immunity and give a subtle taste to dishes of all kinds.

So, today we’re running you through one of our favourite Cambodian meals: the Red Kampot Pepper Chicken or Cha Marik Sach Moun. Mostly, this recipe is perfect for a dish that’s tantalizingly juicy and rich in that delicious pan-friend chicken we all love.

A Little Look at Red Kampot Pepper

The main ingredient of this fantastic dish is Cambodian Red Kampot pepper.

With its exquisite citrus smell and a hint of sweetness, Red Kampot is the king of peppers. While they take longer to mature, they do keep their colour when dried and are the sweetest and most expensive option on the market. But what you get is a vibrant result, which makes the labour-intensive fertilization procedure and harvesting a whole lot more appealing for farmers.

Enough about that though, let’s dive into the recipe. Here is the list of ingredients you’ll need to get started.

List of Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of ground Red Kampot Pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt or rock salt (as per your preference)
• 1 teaspoon of shaved palm sugar
• 3 tablespoons of cooking oil
• 450g of destemmed and bite-sized Chinese broccoli
• 3 de-seeded and finely julienned Fresno chilli
• 1 bulb of minced garlic
• 670g boneless skinless chicken thighs chopped into small cubes

Method:

Making Red Kampot Pepper Chicken isn't difficult if you keep to the instructions and follow each step accordingly. Always remember to measure out the ingredients carefully, as this dish is filled with different herbs and condiments.

1. Take a large bowl in which you can mix the ingredients properly without any spillage.
2. Add Kampot pepper, half the salt, palm sugar and one tablespoon of the cooking oil and mix thoroughly.
3. Add chicken and allow to marinate for 10 minutes. Note: If you want the flavours to penetrate deep into the chicken, you can prick it with a toothpick or any other sharp object. Make sure the skin of the chicken is removed; otherwise, it will not absorb the necessary flavours.
4. Choose a pan with a lid. Heat and add one tablespoon of oil, add the Chinese broccoli and the remaining salt. Allow ingredients to cook for 1-2 mins. Once cooked through, remove the broccoli from the pan and place it on a serving plate.
5. Heat one tablespoon of oil in the pan and add the marinated chicken. Let the chicken cook for 8-10 minutes, or until it is cooked through. Once done, toss with some red chillies and place them together on the serving plate with the broccoli.

We can smell the aroma already …