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NIRORN

Our Process

Lime. Salt. Time.

The process is simple. Executing it consistently is not. Traditional preservation, disciplined production, modern presentation.

The whole cure in one frame: fresh limes, limes packed in salt, a jar of fruit gone dark, and the finished labelled jar.
  1. 01

    Selecting the fruit

    Whole Cambodian limes, chosen for size, ripeness, and skin condition, and bought from growers the house knows by name. The ingredient is only as good as the fruit it starts from.

    Gloved hands over a steel bowl of whole Cambodian limes, lifting one out to look at it.
  2. 02

    Cleaning and preparation

    Fruit is washed and prepared under controlled, food-safe handling before anything else happens.

    Water poured over a handful of limes held in gloved hands, above a bowl of fruit already in the water.
  3. 03

    Salt curing

    Whole limes are packed in Cambodian sea salt — the fruit and the salt, and nothing added to hurry them. This is the step that begins the transformation from fresh fruit to preserved ingredient.

    Sea salt falling from a gloved hand into the mouth of a tall jar, onto the limes packed below.
  4. 04

    Time and transformation

    Months in the salt, not days: acidity mellows, salinity settles, and aroma deepens. Nothing is rushed.

    Limes months into the cure, gone dark brown in dark brine, filling a sealed glass jar.
  5. 05

    Inspection

    Every batch is inspected before it is allowed to move forward. A batch is released by a person, not a schedule.

    A cured lime held out of the jar in tongs, dark brown and whole, with the curing jar beside it.
  6. 06

    Packing

    Clean packaging and clear labeling, batch by batch, ready to leave the house.

    A cured lime lowered by tongs into a labelled 500 ml jar of Ngam Ngov held in one hand, the curing jar beside it.

What the months look like

The same fruit, five times.

Colour is the cure's own clock. Nothing is added to hurry it along and nothing is added to deepen it — the fruit, the salt, and the time it takes.

  1. Day 0

    Fresh limes and salt

  2. Day 7

    Salt draws out the liquid

  3. Day 15

    Flavour begins to develop

  4. 1–3 months

    Acidity mellows

  5. 3+ months

    Deeper aroma and colour

Traceability and batch records

Every jar knows its batch.

Production is recorded batch by batch: when the fruit was salted, when it was released, and by whom. That record is what lets a jar carry its own history — the day it was made, not a printed approximation.

The process is preservation by salt curing. We do not describe it as fermentation unless and until that has been verified for our specific method.

Live from the curing house

CMP-0908

Salted
8 September 2026
day 38
Slow maturation
Expected release
7 December 2026

Where this goes next

FAQ

Questions

What is Ngam Ngov?

Ngam Ngov is a salt-cured lime: whole limes are salted and matured for months, producing an ingredient with concentrated citrus, salinity, gentle bitterness, and savory depth. It has a strong connection to Cambodian food culture and works well beyond it.

What does salt-cured lime taste like?

Bright citrus and salinity up front, a gentle bitterness from the peel, and a savory, almost umami depth. It behaves like acid and salt at once, without any added sugar.

How do you use Ngam Ngov?

Use the whole fruit, blend the flesh into sauces and dressings, stir the brine into marinades, or build drinks around its mature citrus. It suits glazes, grilled pork, duck and poultry, seafood, broths, cocktails, and desserts.

Is Ngam Ngov the same as preserved lemon?

No. Preserved lemon leans floral and soft; salt-cured lime leans savory and sharp, with a more mature, umami character — a different, more savory register of preserved citrus.

Where is Ngam Ngov made?

In Cambodia, by NIRORN — a preserving house that pairs traditional salt curing with modern, controlled production and clear labeling.

How should Ngam Ngov be stored?

Keep the jar sealed and refer to the label. Detailed storage and best-before guidance is being finalized for the retail release.