NEW YEAR’S EVE RECIPE

Something special for New Year’s Eve, that does not take long to cook and tastes delicious!

​Ingredients
400g monkfish fillets, cut into bite-size chunks
400ml coconut milk, mixed with 1¾ cups water
500g live mussels
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
1 tablespoon palm sugar
2½ tablespoons fish sauce
150g sugar snap peas
3-4 spring onions, finely chopped
Handful of fresh basil or coriander leaves for garnish
Toasted coconut shavings for garnish (optional)
300g jasmine or basmati rice, washed
200ml coconut milk, mixed with 200ml water
Juice of 1 lime
2 kaffir lime leaves
Pinch of sea salt
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 large shallots, roughly chopped
6-7 large, mild, red chili peppers, deseeded and chopped
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
Small handful of coriander stems, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped (or finely grated zest
of 2 limes)
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
3-4 tablespoons water

Method

• Put the monkfish pieces into a large bowl with a little seasoning and spoon a few tablespoons of coconut milk over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook. Wash the mussels; discard any that do not close when gently tapped.
• To make the lime and coconut rice, put all the ingredients into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pan. Simmer until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, 8-10 minutes. Without removing the lid, remove from the heat and let the rice steam for 5-10 minutes.
• While the rice is cooking, put all the ingredients for the curry paste into a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste, stopping the machine once or twice to scrape down the sides. If necessary, add a little more water to get a finely ground paste.
• Heat the groundnut oil in a deep pan or a wok. Add the curry paste and stir-fry for over low heat just until the paste smells fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and water mixture, then stir in the palm sugar and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• Tip in the sugar snap peas, stir, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mussels and monkfish, cover the pan, and simmer until the mussels have opened and the monkfish is opaque and just cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Scatter the spring onions and basil leaves over the top. Serve immediately with the lime and coconut rice, garnished with a sprinkling of toasted coconut shavings.