Melon Salad, Scallops, Red Rice and Darryl's Chocolate Cake

In our quest to conquer Thai cooking we made Red Curry of Scallops from Thai Food by David Thompson. For some reason that we don't understand, the curry didn't turn out to be red in color. When we were in Bangkok we had a Lobster in Red Curry Sauce and wanted very much to cook it at our house. This clearly isn't the recipe although the taste was correct. We will keep looking.

We invited Robert, Darryl and Shumon to join us for dinner. We started with a wonderful salad: Thai Melon Salad from City Cuisine by Susan Feniger & Mary Sue Milliken. This recipe does capture Bangkok! It is wonderful and highly recommend that you try it. The recipe can be found on our blog of: August 12, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe.

Robert and Darryl brought a very light and rich Flourless Chocolate Cake. You have to invite them to dinner to get the recipe

RED CURRY OF SCALLOPS

chuu chii hoi shenn

Thai Food

David Thompson

This is an elegant curry: it should not be too thick or intensely flavoured, or the scallops will be overpowered. So, after seasoning the curry, simmer until almost, but not quite, dry - the degree is determined by taste.

If scallops are not available, mussels, clams, prawns or any other seafood make excellent alternatives. This curry can also be made with whole oi filleted fish, cooked in the seasoned curry or deep-fried until crisp and crunchy, then added at the end.

2 cups         coconut cream

1 TBL         palm sugar

2 TBL         fish sauce

1 cup                  coconut milk or stock

12-16 small scallops, cleaned - about 200 g (6 oz) in all

4                kaffir lime leaves, shredded

1 TBL         thick coconut cream

a little red chilli, julienned

1 TBL         coriander leaves

paste

5-8 dried long red chillies, deseeded, soaked and drained large pinch of salt

5         slices galangal

3 TBL         chopped lemongrass

4 TBL         chopped garlic

3 TBL sliced red shallot
1 TBL scraped and chopped coriander root
10 white peppercorns

1 rounded teaspoon shrimp paste igapi), roasted

First, make the paste.

Crack the coconut cream over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of the paste and fry, stirring regularly, for at least 5 minutes, until fragrant. Season wit sugar and fish sauce. Add coconut milk and simmer until reduced, quite thick and separated. Add scallops and half the kaffir lime leaves and continue to simmer briefly, with the scallops immersed, until the flesh is just cooked. (Alternatively, the scallops can be removed from their shells, cooked in the curry, then returned to their shells and the curry poured over them.)

Check seasoning: it should be salty, a little hot and fragrant from the kaffir lime. To serve, arrange scallops on a plate, drizzle over the coconut cream then sprinkle with the remaining lime leaves, red chilli and coriander.