Samlar machu is the Khmer

Khmer language

Khmer , or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language , with speakers in the tens of millions. Khmer has been considerably influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious...

 term for a category of sour (machu) soups (samlar, also samlor, salaw, or salor) popularly known in English as simply "Cambodian sour soup." The soup derived from the Vietnamese sour soup canh chua

Canh chua

Canh chua is a sour soup indigenous to the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. It is typically made with fish from the Mekong River Delta, pineapple, tomatoes , and bean sprouts, in a tamarind-flavored broth...

.

The sour flavour of the soup comes from the use of tamarind

Tamarind

Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...

 and certain tangy vegetables such as tomato

Tomato

The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...

 and pineapple

Pineapple

Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...

, as well as Tiliacora triandra

Tiliacora triandra

Tiliacora triandra is a species of flowering plant native to mainland Southeast Asia and used particularly in the cuisines of northeast Thailand and Laos. In the Isan language, it is called bai yanang or bai ya nang , or simply yanang or ya nang . In Laos, it is also called bai yanang...

leaves. There are many types of Khmer sour soups, but the most popular variation is samlor machu moun (sour chicken soup), which is notable for the use of pickled lime

Lime (fruit)

Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...

. Meat in this type of soup is usually that of either chicken

Chicken

The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...

, fish

Fish

Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

, or pork

Pork

Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....

. In recent times, instead of using fresh tamarind, a powdered tamarind soup base is used. One popular brand is manufactured by Knorr.

External links

• Samlor machu with shrimp (photo)
• Samlor machu with chicken a lotus roots (photo)
• Samlor Machu "Vietnamese-style"
• Samlor Machu M'noas (photos)