Ragout of Shellfish with Sweet Scented Basil (Po Tak) Recipes

Ingredients :

575ml fresh mussels in their shells, cleaned

225g medium cuttle fish or squid

350g monkfish, hokey or red snapper, skinned

150g fresh or cooked prawn (shrimp) tails, peeled and de-veined

4 scallops, sliced - optional

400ml canned coconut milk

300ml chicken or vegetable stock

85g French beans, trimmed and cooked

50g canned bamboo shoots, drained

1 ripe tomato, skinned, seeded and roughly chopped

Green curry paste

2 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp caraway or cumin seeds

3-4 medium green chilies, finely chopped

4 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1 piece lemon grass, 7.5 cm long

1 piece galangal or fresh ginger, 2cm long, peeled and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

4 shallots or 1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 piece shrimp paste, 2cm square

50g coriander leaves, finely chopped

3 tbsp fresh mint or basil, finely chopped

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp vegetable oil

4 sprigs large leaf basil, torn, to garnish

Method :

Place the mussels in a stainless steel or enamel saucepan, add 4 tbsp of water, cover, steam open and cook for 6-8 minutes. Take 3/4 of the mussels out of their shells (discard any which don't open), strain the cooking liquid and set aside. To prepare the cuttle fish or squid, trim off the tentacles beneath the eye. Rinse under cold running water, discarding the gut. Remove the cuttle shell from inside the body and rub off the paper thin skin. Cut the body open and score, criss cross, with a sharp knife. Cut into strips and set aside. To make the green curry paste, dry fry the coriander and caraway or cumin seeds in a wok to release their flavor. Grind the chilies with the sugar and salt using a pestle and mortar or food processor to make a smooth paste. Combine the seeds from the wok with the chilies, add the lemon grass, galangal or ginger, garlic and shallots or onion, then grind smoothly. Add the shrimp paste, coriander, mint or basil, nutmeg and vegetable oil. Combine well. There may seem to be a lot of coriander and mint at this stage, but their volume will reduce considerably when ground with the other spices. Pour the coconut milk into a sieve. Pour the thin part of the milk together with the chicken or vegetable stock into a wok. The thick part of the coconut milk is added later. Add 4-5 tbsp of the green curry paste according to taste. You can add more paste later if you need to. Boil rapidly until the liquid has reduced completely. Add the thick part of the coconut milk, then add the cuttle fish or squid and monkfish, hokey or red snapper. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Then add the prawns (shrimp), scallops and cooked mussels with the beans, bamboo shoots and tomato. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, transfer to a bowl and decorate with the basil and chilies.

Green curry paste can be used to accompany other dishes, such as Green Curry Coconut Chicken. Curry pastes will keep for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator if stored in a screw top jar.

Serves 4 - 6

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