Recipe - Thai Chuu-Chii (Red Curry) Of Coffin Bay Scal

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.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini