47: Steamed Mussels / Thai Coconut Curry Broth / Lemongrass & Kaffir Lime / Jasmine Rice

Here’s another installment of cooking outside the box of my normal heavily French- and Italian-influenced American style. The deep, rich, awesomely good mushroom taste and texture of mussels is contrasted against a well balanced sweet and spicy coconut curry broth. The broth is elevated by lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. The citrus element of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves tantalize the palate and add an amazing aromatic flare to this dish, while fragrant jasmine rice adds to the olfactory delight. What about the texture you say? Jasmine rice takes care of that with its natural grain state as well as a nutty flavor.

I couldn’t quite get away from the French influence, for we drank a vouvray with dinner. Vouvray is a common French white wine with fantastic minerality, or stone-like qualities, and citrusy flavors that allow the wine to complement the nutty nature of jasmine rice and tart fruit infused broth.

Ingredients and Directions:

1 lb of mussels, cleaned and debearded

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 chili pepper, finely chopped (can substitute good pinch of chili flakes)

2 teaspoons of ginger powder

1 tablespoon of curry powder

1/4 cup of chicken broth

1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 a stalk of lemongrass, minced

2 kaffir lime leaves (can substitute juice of 1 lime)

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 cup uncooked Jasmine rice (prepare according to package)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Place your debearded mussels (Googling it will save some page space here) in a bowl of cold water. Tap the shell of mussels with your fingernail if they are open. If they close, they are still alive and thus good for use. Discard if it does not close after tapping because it is already dead. Let them sit for 10 minutes, drain and repeat soaking. This process allows for the mussels to “spit out” dirt or mud inside them. Keep in cold water until ready for use. Hopefully you have started your rice before re-soaking the mussels. The rice should take about 18-20 minutes in a rice cooker.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté onions with pinch of salt and pepper until they become soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Don’t forget to stir occasionally or the onions will burn. Now add the chili pepper, ginger, and curry powder and mix into onions to cook for one 1-2 minutes to release aromatics.

Add the chicken broth and reduce by half, 2-3 minutes. Now add the coconut milk, another pinch of salt, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves and bring to a boil. Drain the mussels while waiting for a boil, and add the mussels once drained. Reduce heat to medium and cover with a tight fitting lid to steam the mussels for 6-7 minutes until. Discard any that don’t open during steaming process. Spoon mussels into bowls over rice, pour some broth over the dish, and garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy!