DISH RESEARCH · Main dish
Cha Kdam
Cambodian blue-crab stir-fry with crab paste, pepper and onion.

About Cha Kdam
Savy’s cha kdam follows the Cambodian crab dish she learned from her mother. This version uses fresh blue crabs and jarred crab paste in soya bean oil, alongside bell pepper and onion.
Garlic, salt and sugar season the crab, with the sugar first forming a caramel base. The crab paste coats the shell pieces and vegetables, contributing a concentrated savoury flavour.
The cut crab pieces remain in their shells as the paste clings to them. Warm rice is served alongside; conditional water is included only when the crab releases too little liquid.
Allergens in this recipe
Contains: Crustaceans, Soy.
Other allergen details are unconfirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Cha Kdam
Savy’s Cambodian maternal cha kdam with crab paste.
- Fresh blue crabsProtein
- Crab paste in soya bean oilSeasoning
- Bell pepperBase
- OnionAromatic
- Canola oilCooking medium
- SugarSweetener
- GarlicAromatic
- WaterLiquid · Optional
- SaltSeasoning
- Cooked riceAccompaniment
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Fresh blue crabs: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Crustaceans source-confirmed. Explicit blue-crab/female preference15, no invented alternate crab species.
- Crab paste in soya bean oil: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Crustaceans source-confirmed; Soy source-confirmed. Broader crab-paste link; source literal soya-bean-oil formulation16 retained, full other components unprovided.
- Bell pepper: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Onion: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Canola oil: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Sugar: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Garlic: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Water (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Conditional low-crab-liquid water28, not required stock.
- Salt: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Cooked rice: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Actual warm-rice serving31, full preparation/grain unprovided.
Origins & food traditions
Countries
- Cambodia
- CambodiaCatalogue link pending review
Cuisines & regions
- Cambodian Cuisine
- Khmer CuisineCatalogue link pending review
AI-generated illustration of one possible presentation. Recipes and ingredients vary; the image does not establish allergen content.