Steamed Mussels with Yellow Curry and Coconut Milk

I’ve been following the culinary adventures of Rick Stein along with his cute dog Chalky, for over a decade and my husband bought me the complete food heroes collection in 2004. It was a BBC mini series which aired in 2002.  Rick went on a quest to search out the very best of all British products from bread to beer and lamb to cheese. His food heroes were the men and women who had a passion for their trade giving quality and taste the highest importance above the desire to make a profit!  His latest book, Far Eastern Odyssey, features authentic recipes and the cooking styles from that of a Far Eastern kitchen.

Serves 4
adapted from Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
400ml (14 oz.) coconut milk
1.75kg (4lb) fresh mussels in their shells, cleaned
4 kaffir lime leaves (can use lime zest)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon palm sugar (can use brown sugar)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
large handful fresh coriander/cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Curry Paste:
50g galangal or ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric
40g garlic, roughly chopped
2 fat lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped
100g (4 oz.) shallots, roughly chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
1 strip pared lime zest
2 teaspoons fermented fish paste or shrimp paste (can omit if not available)
1 medium-hot red or green chili, chopped

To make the curry paste, place all of the ingredients in a food processor with about 2 tablespoons water, to get the paste moving, and process until smooth. You can also use a pestle and mortar but omit the water and pound ingredients until smooth (don’t worry about the small rough bits).

Heat oil in a large, deep pan (a wok works perfectly if you have one) over medium heat. Add curry paste and fry 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until it smells aromatic. Add coconut milk and simmer 2 minutes. Toss in the mussels and lime leaves to the pan, cover and cook over a high heat 3 to 4 minutes until the mussels have just opened. Remove from heat and add the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice and adjust seasoning with salt if necessary. Scatter over the coriander and serve in bowls.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Gorgeous aromas in the kitchen when the curry paste hits the heat! If you find lime leaves (aka kaffir lime leaves), don’t worry about what to do with the leftovers as they freeze well. They are highly aromatic and add their own citrusy flavor to stir-fry, curry, salad and fish cake dishes.  According to Dr. Weil, coriander is considered a healing herb.  It is traditionally used in India as an anti-inflammatory agent and studied in the U.S. for its cholesterol-lowering properties.  I had some of the broth leftover and used it the next day in a pasta sauce…yum!