Mussels in a Coconut Thai Broth - Midii in sos thailandez cu lapte de cocos

I love mussels, and pretty much all seafood. The only ones that i am iffy about are the oysters, but i don't turn them down. It's just that i like them not too large, not too many, and served like shooters - with a bit of lemon or lime juice and a bit of tabasco or spicy cocktail sauce. All the others, shrimp, clams, mussels, lobster, crab, any kind of fish, are more than welcome, at any time, preferably in larger portions. I would choose them over red meat at any time.

I cooked mussels lots of times before, but somehow i have only two other photos in my folder, in seafood combo dishes. I'll get to them some time soon. I like the mussels to have some broth so i could eat them with fresh crusty bread, and i love the sea smell and taste of the sauce from the mussels. Any broth - made with wine, beer, tomato sauce, cream or coconut milk - is really good.

And these dishes are not only good, but definitely presentable as an appetizer or a main entree for any casual or fancy gathering. The flavors could be played with based on your favorite herbs and cuisines. Go French with just white wine, shallots and thyme, Italian with some tomato sauce and fresh parsley, Asian by adding the ginger, or Thai - with the lemongrass, curry and coconut milk. Make them spicy or mild, as you like.

The taste, flavors and the bread dipped into the sauce, makes this one of my favorite comfort foods. The broth has a wonderul rich taste and beautiful yellow color, and the chilli gives it a bite. And don't forget the glass of chilled white wine by its side, it's definitely better :))

This time i mixed the wine and the coconut milk for the broth, but you could go with just one or the other, and play the other ingredients by ear if you don't like the Thai theme. You could also use heavy cream instead of coconut milk, but i would use then 1 1/2 cups of white wine and only up to 1 cup (250 ml) cream. If using just coconut milk, and no wine, add at the end some acidity - lemon or lime juice.

This time i don't have a recipe link, i mixed a couple and made it to our liking. It made 4 appetizers.

Here is a link about cleaning mussels, with very good advice and step-by-step photos.

Mussels in a Coconut Thai Broth

2 tablespoons oil
½ onion, finely chopped (you could also use one shallot or one leek, only white and light green parts)
1 or 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3-4 pieces, smashed with the side of the knife
the zest of one lime
one 1 ½ inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced or chopped coarsely
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 can coconut milk (~300ml)
1 cup dry white wine
1 ½ pound mussels, scrubbed
salt and pepper
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
1 green onion, sliced on diagonal
fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large saucepan, saute the onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic, and after a minute the curry powder. Add the coconut milk, wine, ginger, lime zest and lemongrass, and bring the sauce to a boil.
Add the mussels, cover the pot, and let them cook over low heat for about 3-5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until all the mussels open. Transfer the open mussels to your serving bowls, discarding the ones that didn’t open.

Continue cooking the broth, uncovered, simmering over low heat, until reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper and add the chilli slices.
Strain and pour the broth over the mussels. Sprinkle with cilantro and green onion and serve immediately with fresh crusty bread and lime wedges.

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Midii in sos thailandez cu lapte de cocos

Imi plac midiile, si de fapt toate fructele de mare. Singurele la care sunt mai mofturoasa sunt stridiile, dar nu le refuz nici pe ele. Doar ca imi plac cele de marime potrivita, sa nu fie prea largi si prea multe, si sa le mananc proaspete, sorbite dintr-o inghititura stropite cu zeama de lamaie sau limeta si putin sos picant sau cocktail. Restul, creveti, scoici, midii, homar, crabi, si absolut orice fel de peste, sunt mai mult decat binevenite, cat mai des si in portii cat mai mari. As alege fructe de mare oricand in locul carnii rosii.
Am gatit midii acasa de multe ori, dar nu stiu de ce nu am decat doua poze in albumele salvate, si alea de feluri de mancare unde le-am combinat cu alte "pescaresti". O sa ajung intr-o buna zi si la ele. Imi plac midiile sa aiba un fel de sos, zeama, sa le mancam cu paine proaspata, si imi place mirosul si gustul de mare pe care il ia sosul de la ele. Orice sos - facut cu vin, bere, suc de rosii, smantana dulce sau lapte de cocos- este foarte bun.
Si pe langa ca sunt foarte gustoase, felurile astea sunt si foarte prezentabile, servite ca aperitiv sau fel principal (o portie mai serioasa) la orice masa, fie ea mai putin pretentioasa, sau mai formala. Iar aromele si condimentele pot fi alese in functie de verdeturile voastre preferate si inspiratia culinara. Incercati o varianta franceza cu vin alb, ceapa de apa (esalota) si cimbrisor proaspat, italiana cu sos de rosii si patrunjel proaspat, asiatica - adaugand ghimbir si coriandru, sau thailandeza cu lemongrass, praf sau pasta de curry si lapte de cocos. Si daca va place mancarea care pisca putin la limba, adaugati ardei iute sau ceva condimente care sa le faca picante.
Gustul, aromele si painea muiata in sos, fac felul asta una din mancarurile mele favorite, care iti da o senzatie minunata de comfort si caldura. Zeama are un gust atat de bogat, de un galben minunat, iar ardeiul iute ii da "musca" numai putin. Si nu uitati un pahar de vin alb rece servit langa, asa sigur totul are un gust si mai bun :))
De data asta, am amestecat vinul si laptele de cocos pentru zeama, dar se poate folosi numai unul din ele, iar restul ingredientelor se modifica dupa gust. De asemenea, se poate folosi smantana dulce lichida in loc de lapte de cocos, dar atunci as folosi o ceasca si jumatate de vin si numai jumatate de ceasca de smantana (mi se pare mai grasa decat laptele de cocos). Daca folositi numai lapte de cocos si nu adaugati vin, la sfarsit s-ar putea sosul sa aiba nevoie de putina aciditate - stropiti midiile cu putina zeama de lamaie sau limeta.
De data asta nici o reteta la care sa va trimit, ci o combinatie pe care am facut-o dupa gusturile noastre. Din ingredientele de mai jos au iesit 4 portii de aperitiv.
Aici este un link unde gasiti sfaturi cum se curata midiile, cu poze pentru fiecare pas. (Daca are cineva nevoie de traducere, trimiteti numai un comentariu).

Midii in sos thailandez cu lapte de cocos

2 linguri ulei
½ ceapa tocata marunt (sau puteti folosi ceapa de apa - esalota sau chiar un fir de praz, numai partea alba si cea verde deschis)
1-2 catei de usturoi tocati marunt
un fir de lemongrass, taiat in 3-4 bucati, strivite cu muchia cutitului
coaja rasa de la o limeta
o bucata de vreo 3-4 cm de ghimbir proaspat, curatat de coaja si taiat feliute sau tocat mai mare
1 lingurita praf de curry
o conserva lapte de cocos (~300ml)
250 ml vin alb
700-800 g midii proaspete, curatate bine (sau congelate, folosite direct de la congelator, nu le lasati sa se dezghete pana le puneti in oala)
sare si piper
1 ardei iute rosu, taiat feliute subtiri
un fir de ceapa verde, taiat in feliute subtiri pe diagonala
2-3 linguri coriandru proaspat, tocat

Intr-o cratita mai larga (in care sa incapa mai tarziu midiile), se caleste ceapa pana e translucenta. Se adauga usturoiul, si dupa un minut praful de curry. Se amesteca apoi laptele de cocos, vinul, ghimbirul, coaja de limeta si bucatile de lemongrass, lasand sosul sa dea in clocot.
Se adauga midiile, se pune capacul si se micsoreaza focul, miscand cratita ocazional, timp de vreo 3-5 minute, pana s-au deschis toate midiile. Se scot midiile in bolurile in care o sa le serviti ( sau unul singur mai mare) si se arunca cele care nu s-au deschis.
Se lasa zeama sa fiarba, neacoperita, la foc mic, pana se reduce la jumatate. Se pune sare si piper dupa gust si feliutele de ardei iute.
Se strecoara zeama si se toarna peste midii. Se presara coriandru si ceapa verde pe deasupra si se servesc imediat cu paine proaspata si felii de limeta sau lamaie.

Instructiuni speciale:

Midiile trebuie gatite in aceeasi zi in care au fost cumparate. Se desfac din pachetul sau punga in care au fost impachetate imediat ce este posibil, sa respire, altfel mor. Se spala bine de tot in apa, frecandu-se carapacea sa se indeparteze toate depunerile, se taie "barba" care iese din carapace si se lasa putin in apa rece cat sa se indeparteze nisipul din ele. Se scot usor din castronul cu apa incat nisipul sa ramana la fund, nu varsati castronul cu ele sa se scurga nisipul inapoi.

Inainte de a le gati, se arunca midiile care sunt sparte, precum si cele care nu se inchid cand sunt lovite cu degetul. Dupa ce au fost gatite, se arunca toate cele care nu s-au deschis.

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Thai Shrimp Coconut Soup - Supa thailandeza de creveti cu lapte de cocos

Since I convinced myself that I love cooking and therefore I must be good at it, don't you like my reasoning and modesty?!, I've tried so many recipes that have nothing in common with the Romanian foods we grew up with. (My father always makes fun of me when I show them pictures of what I cooked and sees the combinations and the ingredients. Then he tells my husband to come back home more often to eat some real food and thanks him for not yet leaving me because of this. Yes, I am talking about MY dad, not his, and yes, I love my dad all the way to the moon and back and he probably loves me twice as much. But I'll come back to this some other time.)

I think this opening to new food is definetely because of where we live now. We are blessed here to find everything at all times and the selection is amazing, so the rules for going seasonal and local have never been easier to follow. On top of that, you could find always more than what you are looking for and you cannot resist temptation and cravings - at least I cannot and this is my excuse when I get carried away and come home with too many things. Sometimes I don't know if this is the gourmand part of me, or if my judgement is lacking in this area.

But this is how it goes: I read some cooking books that are truly inspiring, take a peak daily on about 10 different blogs, dream of being Suzanne Goin (at least twice a week), that I will meet Mr. Keller and I will make a good impression (ahem), or that I meet Bea and her originality and amazing talent for writing and photography will be passed on when we shake hands.

You understand now how easy it is to get carried away, don't you? And all this dreaming went on and made me feel fearless in my kitchen. So, I tried to make at home some of the dishes we liked when eating out, and I took a shot at the thai shrimp soup and made up several stir fry dishes, not to forget about the sushi and hot & sour soup (was good first time, ok second time, and anything else but hot & sour the next two times, but that did not discourage me yet).

My husband is not an adventurous eater and he doesn't give to much thought to food. For him, his opera singing is what food is for me. I, on the other side, think, read and talk about food most of the time, like to try things, would love to go to culinary school or start working in a restaurant, or stay home and cook each day, if I wouldn't be a conservative Capricorn afraid of changes and scared about this not being a responsible move, bla-bla-bla ... Our duaghter is the perfect combo, just like she did with the blood type (I have A, G has B, she's got AB), she picked from her father the love for music, performing and arts in general, and from me the passion about cooking. I think she knows ten times more than what I knew when I was her age, she likes to hang around the kitchen and help, loves the Iron Chef show which we watch together and now wants her own blog.

After looking for recipes for this soup, I found about 3 or 4 which sounded like what I thought it went in the soup we had out, so I combined them and adjusted them slightly. And because we eat shrimp during lent before Christmas and Easter, this recipe is just perfect.

If you want a more classic version, please look online, mine is not that. And feel free to make it mroe salty, sour or hot, as you like, this is on the mild side. Shrimp could be substituted with chicken.

Thai Shrimp Coconut Soup

Ingredients:
a pound and a half shrimp, deveined, shell on (shells are used for the broth)
one cup and a half coconut milk
½ cup bamboo shots sliced ( I used the canned ones)
1" fresh ginger grated
1" galangal peeled and sliced
3 kaffir lime leaves
1 stalk lemongrass cut in 2-3 pieces and slightly bruised with your knife
one tablespoon tom yum paste (could be substituted with chili paste mixed with ½ teaspoon sugar)
one tablespoon shrimp paste
half an onion sliced
2 tablespoons Nam Pla (fish sauce)- or one teaspoon salt
one cup sliced mushrooms -shiitake, straw, cremini, button (which I forgot to buy this time)
cilantro
juice from 1-2 limes
a few thai chillies, if you prefer your soup really hot

Rinse, peel and devein the shrimps, and set the shells aside for the broth.
In a pot, put the shrimp shells and the onion in 6 cups of water. After the water comes to a full boil, lower the heat to simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Strain the soup and discard the shells and onion.
In the same pot, saute in 1-2 tablespoons oil the ginger, galangal slices, lemongrass pieces, the tom yum paste and the shrimp paste for about 1-2 minutes, until frangrant, then add the reserved shrimp broth, the coconut milk and the kaffir lime leaves.
Let it come back to a simmer over low heat, then add the shrimp and bamboo shots for just 1-2 minutes. If you didn’t forget about the mushrooms as I did, add them now. Shrimp cooks very fast and will continue to cook in the warm stock. Overcooking them will turn them tough and rubbery.
Remove from heat and add the cilantro, lime juice and the fish sauce (Nam Pla). Remove the lemongrass and galangal before serving, if you like. They're not really edible. Adjust the taste to your liking, by adding more or less fish sauce, lime juice or slices of chillies.
Serve it with plain rice - white, brown, basmati.
You know how the chicken soup is good for colds and gets you out of bed? This one is just the same. Or at least that’s what we think.

Helpful notes from the recipes found online:
* Add the lime juice at the end instead of adding it with everything else, because the flavor of the lime gets mellowed when it's cooked. It should be fresh and bursting on your tongue.
** Galangal has no real substitute. Ginger is the closest.

*** Kaffir Lime leaves have a unique flavour. Lime zest is the closest thing (use 1-2 tsp).

If you make it with chicken instead of shrimp, saute the onion (this one will not be strained) with the condiments, then add the chicken at the same time with the (chicken) broth. Let it cook until the chicken turned all white on the outside, then it is almost done and you could add the mushrooms and the bamboo shots.

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Supa thailandeza de creveti cu lapte de cocos

Este o supa thailandeza cu lapte de cocos, care se poate face cu pui sau creveti, dupa preferinta. Imi pare rau ca nu am cum sa traduc numele pt. ingredientele specifice, galangal, lemongrass, tom yum, dar am incercat sa gasesc diferite posibilitati de a le inlocui ca alte ingrediente.

Ingrediente:
500-700 gr creveti nedecorticati, carapacea se pastreaza pt. zeama de supa
o conserva de 400 ml lapte de cocos
muguri de bambus
o bucatica de vreo 3 cm ghimbir proaspat ras pe razatoarea mica
o bucata de vreo 3cm radacina galangal (seamana cu ghimbirul, dar e mai mare si miroase puternic a lamaie) taiata feliute
3 frunze de limeta (lime)
o bucata lemongrass taiata in 2-3 segmente, strivite putin
o lingura pasta de tom yum (se poate inlocui cu pasta de chili frecata cu ½ lingurita zahar)
o lingura pasta de creveti (daca aveti pasta de chili sau tom yum, puteti sari peste asta)
o jumatate ceapa taiata solzi
2 linguri Nam Pla (fish sauce)- se poate inlocui cu sos de soia, sau pur si simplu sare, dupa gust, nu 2 linguri!!!
coriandru proaspat
zeama de la 2 limette ( sau lamai)
cativa ardei iuti taiati feliutze daca va place mancarea picanta

1. Se spala si curata crevetii de coaja. Intr-o cratita se pun cojile de creveti si ceapa cu un litru de apa calduta si se lasa sa dea in clocot, apoi sa fiarba la foc mic vreo 5 minute. Se strecoara supa si se pastreaza zeama, restul se arunca.

2. In aceeasi cratita se calesc in doua linguri de ulei ghimbirul ras pe razatoarea mica, radacina de galangal taiata feliute, bucatile de lemongrass, pasta de creveti si pasta tom yum, timp de un minut, apoi se sting cu zeama de supa, laptele de cocos si se adauga frunzele de limeta. Se lasa sa ajunga din nou la fierbere, si se micsoreaza focul sa nu dea in clocot.

3. Se adauga crevetii si mugurii de bambus si se lasa sa fiarba numai vreo 1-2 minute, cat sa devina crevetii roz. (Acum se adauga ciupercile de care eu uitasem.) Crevetii trebuie gatiti foarte putin, altfel isi pierd gustul si devin tari si "cauciucosi" - ii aud parca pe ai mei zicand ceva despre romana mea deteriorata)

Se da cratita la o parte de pe foc si se adauga coriandru proaspat tocat, zeama de lime sau lamaie si sosul Nam Pla (sau sosul de soia sau sare) dupa gust. Pasta de tom yum este picanta, dar pentru cine prefera mancarurile iuti, se poate adauga mai mult ardei iute la sfarsit taiat rondele.

Se serveste fierbinte cu orez fiert simplu garnitura (alb, maro, basmati, dupa preferinta).

Sfaturi gasite la retetele din care m-am inspirat:
* adaugati sucul de limeta (lamaie) numai la sfarsit, si nu in timpul fierberii, pentru ca gustul se estompeaza cand sucul este fiert. Gustul acru trebuie sa se simta proaspat si acid.
** Galangal-ul nu poate fi inlocuit usor. Ghimbirul este cel mai apropiat la gust, dar nu e chiar acelasi lucru.

*** Frunzele de limeta au o aroma unica. Cel mai apropiat gust il are coaja rasa de la o limeta (aveti nevoie de 1-2 lingurite). Ma gandesc ca poate si frunzele de lamaie dau o aroma buna adaugate la coaja rasa.

Daca faceti supa aceasta folosind carne de pui, atunci caliti ceapa cu primele condimente, fara sa mai strecurati supa, apoi adaugati carnea de pui si zeama de supa de pui. Se lasa sa fiarba la foc mic pana cand carnea de pui este complet alba pe dinafara, atunci este aproape gata si se adauga ciupercile si mugurii de bambus.

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