I picked this recipe up on my Travelicious markets tour, along with two kilos of mussels from the Sydney Fish Markets.
I’m convinced that’s actually the sign of a good food-related event, when you’re left with ideas and techniques that expand your thinking and your relationship with food.
Ingredients
Two kilos of black mussels, onion, garlic, red curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, coriander and chilli.
Method
- If they aren’t already, clean your mussels. This is a good Youtube video explaining how to do it.
- Finely dice the onion and garlic (one onion, about three or four cloves of garlic) and brown it in a large pot on medium heat. Add three large tablespoons of curry paste once the onion and garlic has browned.
- After a minute, add fish sauce (two tablespoons), brown sugar (one tablespoon) and coconut milk (one can). Depending how soupy you want the broth to be, you might also want to add a half cup of water as well.
- Add the mussels to the pot and put the lid on. They don’t all need to be submerged in the soup because the steam that will collect in the pot will cook them. Cook for approximately three to five minutes, or until all the mussels have opened up.
- While the mussels are cooking, chop up chilli and coriander and sprinkle it on top of each serving. Serve with a side of jasmine rice to absorb the soup.
Two kilos of mussels was enough for a filling meal for three people, and would serve four well if you had some extra sides to go with the dish. Quite quick and simple to make (approximately half an hour) and relatively cheap as well, considering that most of the ingredients you should already have in (onion, garlic, fish sauce, brown sugar), and others will only cost you about $15AUD total (mussels, curry paste, coconut milk).