Ingredients
- Gilt head Bream
- Fillet of Monkfish
- 20 Dried Red Chilis (soaked in warm water for an hour to soften)
- Plain Oil
- Nam Pla Sauce (fish sauce)
- 2 stalks of Lemongrass
- 1 bulb of Ginger
- Galangal Paste
- Large bunch of cilantro/coriander
- Thai Basil
- Kaffir Lime leaves
- Red onion
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 1 Spring Onion
- 1 tsp Palm Sugar
- Handful of Sugar Snap Peas
- Handful of Spinach
- Chili and Shrimp Paste
- ¾ pint of fish stock
- 1 tin Coconut milk
- Thai sweet rice
- 1 Lime
For the Paste:
Slice a red onion and peel a bulb of ginger with a spoon. Add to a food processor together with a chopped stalk of lemon grass, a tbsp of chilli shrimp paste, 2 chopped kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped cilantro stalks, 20 rehydrated red chillies, a glug of fish sauce, 2 tbsp of Galangal paste and the juice of fresh lime. Pour over ¼ cup of plain oil and add six cloves of slices garlic and blend to a fine paste. Make sure all the ingredients have blended down and there are no large pieces remaining.
Bring water to boil in a wok and add your required quantity of Thai rice together with ½ a can of coconut milk and a kaffir lime leaf which will add scent. Allow to cook until soft and sticky with all the water absorbed.
The Curry:
In a large heavy pan heat some oil. Add in a sliced red onion together with 4 tablespoons of your curry paste. Slice a stalk of lemon grass into 4 and bash with a knife before adding to the pan. Tear up two lime leaves and add, topping up with oil as necessary. As the ingredients start to soften add fish stock to loosen together with a splash of fish sauce. Pour in the remainder of your coconut milk. Finely slice 2 Thai red chillies and cut a lime into quarters before stirring in together with a sprinkle of palm sugar.
Remember to keep an eye on your rice!
Remove the spines from the bream and cut the fish into steaks. Nestle the steaks into the curry to cook. Slice up the monkfish into slices and add to the pan. Cover the pan and cook the fish in the curry for around 6 minutes.
Rough chop a good handful of coriander and add to the sticky rice. Rough chop a handful of Thai basil and finely slice and mix with the remaining coriander. Slice a spring onion on the diagonal.
Add a handful of sugar snap peas to the curry, folding through but being careful not to break the fish up. Add a handful of coriander and a handful of spinach. Finally toss in a handful of the sliced spring onions and a sprinkling of black pepper. Serve with a portion of the sticky rice