Steamed curry

A curry set like a mousse by egg and steaming, beaten in one direction until it stiffens.

Fish, Egg. Not vegetarian — contains curry paste, which usually contains shrimp paste, fish, fish sauce.

Ingredients

the curry

• 600 g firm white fish fillet, in small pieces
• 4 tablespoons red curry paste
• 400 ml coconut cream
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice flour
• 100 g Thai basil leaves
• 150 g cabbage, finely shredded

the topping

• 100 ml coconut cream
• 1 teaspoon rice flour
• 4 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• 1 long red chilli, in strips

Method

1. BEATEN IN ONE DIRECTION UNTIL IT STIFFENS, and this is the step that makes it a mousse rather than a curry in a cup. Add the coconut cream to the paste and fish a ladleful at a time, beating steadily the same way each time, 10 to 12 minutes in all. It thickens visibly and holds the mark of the spoon.
2. Beating both ways breaks what you are building and it never sets properly. It is slow and there is no shortcut.
3. Chop a third of the fish very finely, almost to a paste, and leave the rest in pieces. The fine part binds; the pieces give something to find.
4. Paste and the finely chopped fish pounded or blended together first, then the cream beaten in as above.
5. Eggs beaten in one at a time, still in one direction, then the rice flour, fish sauce and palm sugar.
6. The mixture should be thick enough to hold a soft peak. If it is loose it will not set.
7. Fish pieces folded in at the end, gently.
8. Line banana leaf cups or small bowls with shredded cabbage and basil, then fill them three-quarters.
9. STEAM OVER A GENTLE HEAT, 25 to 30 minutes. A hard boil curdles the egg and the surface goes pitted and weeping.
10. Topping: cream thickened with the rice flour, spooned on in the last 5 minutes with the lime leaf and chilli, so it sets as a separate white layer.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Thailand · All recipes