Recipe - Darley Street Thai Chuu-Chii (Red Curry)

Stephen Ceideburg
10 White peppercorns
Mace
1 teaspoon Thai shrimp paste
3 To 5 long red dried chillies
4 Cloves shallots
One half Stalk lemon grass
1 teaspoon Galangal
One half teaspoon Kaffir Lime Zest
1 tablespoon Chopped Coriander Root
One half teaspoon Salt
250 ml Coconut Cream
2 tablespoon To 3 tablespoon Red Curry Paste
1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
One half tablespoon Palm Sugar
24 Coffin Bay Scallops
125 ml Coconut Milk
5 Kaffir Lime Leaves
1 lg Fresh Red Chilli, Julienned
2 tablespoon Coriander Leaves
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 34 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 peppermace 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), One half stalk of lemon grass, cut or sliced up , 1
teaspoon galangal. peeled and chopped, One half teaspoon kaffir lime zest, 1
tablespoon of coriander root, scraped and chopped, One half 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 mediumsize pan, boil 250 mL coconut cream over high heat, stirring
constantly, until the oil separates out, about 35 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 23
tablespoons of red curry paste and fry for 5 minutes, stirring, until fra
grant. Add 1 tablespoon fish sauce, One half 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 sweetsour
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.

File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/mmdja006.zip