CHU CHEE FISH CURRY

I first tried this curry a few years ago in the Thai restaurant in Harrington. It was a prawn curry and I couldn't forget its taste. It was mouthwatering! I had to have the same dish everytime I went there!! I have tried now to replicate this curry at home many times, and have to admit that the recipe below is excellent! Very similar to the one from the restaurant in Harrington, which unfortunately closed down a few months ago.

INGREDIENTS:

Chu chee paste

10 large dried red chillies

1 Tbsp coriander seeds

1 Tbsp mixed peppercorns

1 Tbsp shrimp paste (belacan)

10 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

2 Tbsp grated kaffir lime zest (or lime or lemon zest)

2 Tbsp chopped coriander stem and root

1 lemon grass stem, white part only, finely chopped

3 Tbsp chopped fresh galangal (or ginger)

1 Tbsp paprika

1 Tbsp red curry paste

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 big red onion, chopped

500ml (2 cups) coconut cream (tin unshaken)

1 kg fish fillets, cut into bite-size

2-3 Tbsp fish sauce

3 Tbsp grated palm sugar

8 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

2 handfuls Thai basil

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180C. 

Soak the chillies in a small bowl of hot water for 10 minutes. Drain, remove the seeds and roughly chop.

Put the coriander seeds, peppercorns and shrimp paste onto a foil-lined tray and bake for 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Place these ingredients, plus all the remaining chu chee paste ingredients, into a food processor and process until the mixture forms a smooth paste.

Add a little water if the paste is too stiff.

Spoon 250 g (1 cup) of the thick coconut cream from the top of the tin into a wok and heat until just boiling. 

Stir in 4 - 5 tablespoons of the chu chee paste, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the oil begins to separate.

Stir in the remaining coconut cream and the fish fillets and cook for 3 - 5 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets).

Add the fish sauce, palm sugar and kaffir lime leaves and cook for 3 minutes.

Stir through half the basil and garnish with the rest.

Serves 4

I love this same recipe with prawns (above) or prawns and scallops. Just follow the recipe up until before adding the rest of the coconut cream to the wok.

In another pan (or the Thermomix - see below) add some oil and the prawn heads and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the rest of the coconut cream, cook for another 2-3 minutes and then press the heads with the back of a wooden spoon and discard. Add the coconut cream to the curry paste and follow recipe as for above.  
You can also add some fresh prawns to the fish recipe if you prefer it. If you do so, cook the heads first as per above instructions. 

THERMOMIX METHOD:

To make the paste, place dried chillies (deseeded), peppercorns, coriander seeds and shrimp paste in mixing bowl, cook 5 min/100°C/speed 1.

Grind 1 min/speed 10.
Add the rest of the ingredients, blend 30 sec/speed 10. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula.
Blend 30 sec/speed 10. 

Meanwhile, pour some water (about 50ml) onto mixing bowl lid, letting it drizzle around measuring cup in a thin stream onto rotating blades.

For the prawn recipe, proceed as per traditional recipe up until after adding the curry paste to the wok. 

Add the prawn heads to the TM bowl with 20g olive oil and sauté 2 min / 120 ° C / speed 1 .

Add coconut cream and cook 5 min / 100 ° C / speed. Wait 5 minutes for the temperature to drop slightly and blend 1 min / speed 5 -10 progressively. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and set aside.

Add the coconut cream mixture to the curry paste in the wok and when it is starting to boil, reduce heat and add the prawns. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the fish sauce, palm sugar and kaffir lime leaves and cook for 3 minutes.

Stir through half the basil and garnish with the rest.

Serves 4

THE CURRY PASTE: If you follow this recipe, you will have enough curry paste to make this recipe THREE times. I divide the leftover paste into two small jars and freeze it for whenever I want to use it again.