Saturday, May 9, 2009

Recipe: Mussels in a Lemongrass Bath


Last night, my cousin came over for dinner. It has recently been a somewhat difficult time on that side of the family, so I felt that we needed a sumptuously nourishing meal to linger over. I made mussels as a starter; then grilled shrimp over a julienned red cabbage-bell pepper-mango salad with a Thai-style dressing; and, finally, small servings of grilled salmon with a side of broccoli, drizzled with a thick Thai red curry coconut sauce, fresh cilantro, and black sesame seeds.

Mussels in a Lemongrass Bath for 3
2 lbs mussels, scrubbed and bearded, and rinsed thoroughly and drained
1/4 cup chopped spring green onion
1 bird's eye chilli, slit in half lengthwise
1 teaspoon green curry paste
2 stalks lemongrass, chopped
3 cups broth
2 teaspoons peanut oil

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat, and then heat peanut oil until medium hot. Add green onion and bird's eye chilli and saute until onion is beginning to get translucent. Pour in broth and add green curry paste and lemongrass. When it's beginning to boil but not quite, add the mussels, bring completely to boil, cover, lower heat to medium, and steam the mussels for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove the mussels that haven't opened, and serve the rest.

2 comments:

  1. That looks delish. What is bird's eye chilli?

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  2. The main Thai cilli - tiny, fiery, with colors maturing from green to red.

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