This recipe is from the Thali Cafe, who say…
“Here’s a really simple and delicious way to cook mussels in a classic South Indian broth. We use lovely Bantry Bay Mussels, which work well when combined with the sweetness of jaggery, tartness of lime juice and creaminess of coconut. This recipe is really simple to make at home in one pot. Serve with salad and rice, chapatti or some spiced chips like we do in the Thali.”
This recipe serves 4 people.
Ingredients
Around 1kg of mussels
4 tbsp vegetable oil
3 teaspoons black mustard seeds
4 cloves finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
A handful of fresh curry leaves
One onion, finely chopped
1 tsp tumeric
2 green chillies, finely chopped
Juice of a lime
4 tsp jaggery palm sugar or brown sugar
330ml tin coconut milk
250ml water
Small bunch fresh coriander, leaves chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the mustard seeds and stir until they start to sizzle and pop.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and onion and fry until soft, stirring all the time.
3. Now add the fresh chopped chilli, turmeric, curry leaves, lime juice, jaggery/brown sugar and water.
4. Gently bring the sauce up to the boil while you clean up the mussels, rejecting any which feel too heavy, are damaged or don’t shut when firmly tapped, and pulling off the beards.
5. Check the sauce is bubbling hot, and chuck in the mussels. Cover the pan and give it a good shake. Cook for three minutes or so.
6. Add the coconut milk, bring back to simmering point, taste and adjust the seasoning to taste. Sprinkle with coriander and serve straight away.
Recipe submitted by…
Thali Cafe
Bristol
www.thethalicafe.co.uk
If you’re looking to get more into cooking Indian cuisine, take a look at this post about Indian cooking courses from Phipps PR. While the course itself is in London, it’s well worth a look if you happen to be travelling in that direction.