Khmer Pickled Papaya

Pickled papaya or chrourk la’hong is probably the most popular pickle in Cambodia. It is served as an accompaniment to Khmer grilled beef skewers. If you ever find yourself in Cambodia, try our beef skewers. It’ll be the best thing you’ll ever eat (assuming the cooks know their stuff). We also top our sandwiches with this pickle. You can serve it along with grilled meat and seafood as well. Before we get started, a brief Khmer lesson:

Chrourk means pickle in this instance. It can also mean to sour. 

La’hong is papaya.

Now to the pickle, you will need:

1 large young green papaya, peeled and seeded

2 medium carrots, peeled 

4 cucumbers, halved and seeded

6 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

Several chilies (optional)

3 tbsp salt

1 cup white sugar

1 cup white vinegar

Shred the papaya. Make sure not to shred it too finely. Toss the shredded papaya with 2 tbsp of salt. Set it aside for forty minutes. Slice the carrots, about 1/16 inch in thickness. You can also shred it as you did the papaya. Toss the carrots with ½ tbsp of salt and set aside for forty minutes. Cut cucumbers into matchsticks, roughly around 1 ½ inch long and ⅛ inch thick. Toss the cucumbers with the remaining salt and set aside for forty minutes. 

Dissolve sugar in vinegar. 

Drain the salt water off of each vegetable. Make sure you get as much salt water as possible. Do not rinse the vegetables with water. Toss the vegetables with garlic slices and chilies in a large bowl. Add the vinegar and sugar solution. Mix well, cover and leave it aside for an hour or so. Toss it a few times so that the brine is distributed evenly. Move the pickle into a clean jar. Do not add in the brine. You want the pickle to stay fresh and crunchy. Store the pickle in the fridge. It can be eaten the next day. It you want a sourer taste, leave the jar on the counter for a few days before moving it into the fridge. 

Note: If you like, you can add daikon radish and cabbage to the veggie medley as well.