Thai chuu-chii (red curry) of coffin bay scal

Yield: 4 Servings S

Ingredients:

10 White peppercorns Mace
1 ts Thai shrimp paste
3 To 5 long red dried chillies
4 Cloves shallots
1/2 Stalk lemon grass
1 ts Galangal
1/2 ts Kaffir Lime Zest
1 tb Chopped Coriander Root
1/2 ts Salt
250 ml Coconut Cream
2 tb To 3 tb Red Curry Paste
1 tb Fish Sauce
1/2 tb Palm Sugar
24 Coffin Bay Scallops
125 ml Coconut Milk
5 Kaffir Lime Leaves
1 lg Fresh Red Chilli Julienned
2 tb Coriander Leaves

Instructions:

Jasmine Rice A colleague who recently visited the Darley Street Thai at its new location in Bayswater Road Kings Cross described this dish as exquisite . Though the recipe may seem dauntingly lengthy most of it is simply a long list of ingredients for red curry paste which can be made in quantity and stored in a container in the fridge for 3-4 weeks for further use. Frozen kaffir limes can be bought very cheaply in good Asian stores where the rest of the ingredients listed should also be avail- able. Grate the limes for zest while they are stir frozen. In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder grind to a powder 10 white peppercorns and a few sheaves of mace. Roast 1 teaspoon of Thai shrimp paste by zapping it in a microwave oven or putting it on a little piece of foil under the grill. Put the pepper-mace mixture and the shrimp paste in a blender (David recommends a blender but some of us will have to make do with a food processor or the mortar and pestle) and add 3- 5 long red dried chillies deseeded washed and chopped 4 cloves of true shallots (or substitute the same quantity of Spanish onion) 1/2 stalk of lemon grass sliced 1 teaspoon galangal. peeled and chopped 1/2 teaspoon kaffir lime zest 1 tablespoon of coriander root scraped and chopped 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a little water. Process to a very fine paste. This may take up to 10 minutes. Transfer to a storage jar. In a medium-size pan boil 250 mL coconut cream over high heat stirring constantly until the oil separates out about 3-5 minutes. (If using canned coconut cream don't shake the can -use the solid mass of coconut at the top of the can plus as much of the rest as you need to make up 250mL. If it doesn't separate within 5 minutes add a tablespoon of oil.) Add 2-3 tablespoons of red curry paste and fry for 5 minutes stirring until fra- grant. Add 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1/2 tablespoon palm sugar and fry until colour deepens. Add 24 Coffin Bay scallops (12 if other dishes will be served simultaneously) and 125 mL coconut milk. Check for sweet-sour balance. Throw in 5 kaffir lime leaves shredded 1 large fresh red chilli julienned and 2 tablespoons of either coriander or basil leaves. Serve with jasmine rice. From an article by Meryl Constance in The Sydney Morning Herald 6/15/93. Courtesy Mark Herron.