Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut-Curry Broth

I have to admit that while I like fish (mild fish at least), I don't love it or crave it like pasta. I usually buy it because I feel like I should, since I know it's so good for me. So I really appreciate a fish recipe that's not boring and makes me look forward to dinner. This one not only has a rich, flavorful broth, but it includes greens, so you're killing two birds with one stone. Or two fish with one hook. Or even better, just stop killing stuff.

THAI-STYLE HALIBUT WITH COCONUT-CURRY BROTH

Yield: 4 servings

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

4 shallots, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

2 ½ teaspoons red curry paste (or 2 teaspoons curry powder)

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon (plus more as needed for seasoning)

4 (6 oz.) pieces halibut fillet, skin removed

5 cups washed baby spinach, steamed for 2 minutes

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 scallions (green part only), thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

freshly ground black pepper

2 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

1.      In a large saute pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes.

2.      Season the halibut with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Arrange the fish in the pan and gently shake the pan so the fish is coated with the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 7 minutes.

3.      Arrange a pile of steamed spinach in the bottom of 4 soup plates. Top with the fish fillets. Stir the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice into the sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the sauce over the fish and serve with rice.

from Ellie Krieger

shallots, cilantro and scallions

adding red curry paste to shallots

pouring in chicken broth

pouring in coconut milk

fish added (I used cod instead of halibut)

flaking the fish

The fish was kind of falling apart, so I
just flaked it all and served it like a stew.

spinach

fish on top of spinach

cilantro, scallions and lime juice added to the broth

broth added to the bowl

thai-style halibut with coconut-curry broth
(except it's really cod)

.

Curry Puffs

There's a Thai restaurant near my office called Rhong-Tiam. Their food is really good and they even use organic chicken and grass-fed, hormone-free beef. Plus they deliver! So every once in a while I indulge and have their curry puffs for lunch. They're so delicious, I like to get an extra order and bring them home to heat up the next day. Now don't get too excited, because this isn't their recipe. I just made this one up in an attempt to recreate something similar (only my version is vegetarian). I can't claim mine rival Rhong-Tiam's, but I liked them a lot and if I didn't live or work anywhere near Rhong-Tiam, I'd totally make them again (of course I don't have to, so I'll probably just pick up the phone and dial).

CURRY PUFFS

Yield: 18

1 large Yukon Gold potato (or 2 small)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon sugar or palm sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper (or black pepper to taste)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

1 (17.3 oz.) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

1 egg, beaten (optional)

1/2 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar (optional, for dipping)

1.      Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Peel the potato and chop into large chunks. Boil until easily pierced with a fork (but not falling apart). Drain and rinse under cold water. Once cool enough to handle, dice and set aside.

2.      Heat oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the curry powder, chili powder and turmeric and cook for 1 more minute.

3.      Add the diced potato, sugar, pepper and salt and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed. Set aside to cool.

4.      Heat oven to 400º F.

5.      Roll the puff pastry dough to ¼-inch thickness. Using a round cookie cutter, cut the dough into 3-inch rounds.

6.      Place a tablespoon of filling in the center of each round. Fold the pastry over to form a half circle. Crimp the edges together with a fork.

7.      Brush lightly with egg wash (optional – it just makes the pastry shinier) and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

8.      Serve puffs warm with rice wine vinegar for dipping (if desired).

raw red onions

adding garlic and ginger to cooked red onions

adding spices

spices mixed in

adding potatoes, sugar, salt and pepper

filling mixed

cutting rounds from rolled dough

filling on dough

folding over & sealing dough

crimping with a fork

brushing with egg

raw curry puffs

baked curry puffs

more baked curry puffs, without
egg wash (you can see they're duller)

curry puff up close

.

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

I didn't expect to love this soup so much, but it kind of blew me away. The flavors were so fresh and bold. It was so good that for a brief moment, I could close my eyes and pretend I was at a Thai restaurant, a very casual one where I get to wear my Homer Simpson slippers. This soup had just the right amount of heat for me too (which means if you like things really spicy, you should probably pump up the volume when you make it). Of course it helped that I avoided actually swallowing any of the hot pepper pieces. So if you eat those, you'll be in business (I, on the other hand, would be filing bankruptcy on behalf of my aching tongue).

THAI COCONUT CHICKEN SOUP

Serves 6

2 (14 oz.) cans light unsweetened coconut milk

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms

3 stalks lemongrass, cut in half vertically and then into 4- to 5-inch pieces

1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla)

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1 serrano chili (or other hot pepper), sliced into rounds

1 tablespoon jaggery/coconut palm sugar (can substitute brown sugar)

2 teaspoons chili sauce (such as sambal or sriracha)

8 skinless boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup thinly sliced Thai basil (or basil)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1.      Combine coconut milk, broth, mushrooms, lemongrass, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, hot pepper, palm sugar and chili sauce in large saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors.

2.      Add chicken; simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

3.      Mix in green onions, basil and lime juice.

4.      Remove lemongrass before serving (or tell your guests not to eat it).

adapted from Bon Appétit, June 1998

lemongrass

Occasionally I see this at my supermarket, but I'm lucky
enough to live near a little produce store that sells a lot of
Asian and Latin ingredients. Their lemongrass is always
better than what they sell at the grocery store.

I chopped mine about 2"-3", but I recommend
chopping it 4"-5" (just to make it easier to remove).

ginger and jalapeño pepper (I couldn't find a serrano)

I was scared if I cut my pepper into rings and kept the
seeds/membranes, the soup would be too spicy for me.
So instead of rings, I just cut mine into large pieces.

adding fish sauce to coconut milk, lemongrass, garlic and ginger

mushrooms, sambal and hot pepper added

The mushrooms could have been sliced thinner, but I
bought them already sliced and wasn't about to try to slice the
slices thinner (I might as well stick my fingers in the paper
shredder and be done with it). I know I added the broth too,
but I think I forgot to take a photo of that.

jaggery

I found this in the international section of my supermarket.

adding the jaggery

slicing the chicken

I could have sliced the chicken thinner
too, but it's hard (that stuff is slippery).
I bet this soup would taste good with tofu too.

adding the chicken (most of it sank)

chopping scallions

lime and basil leaves

adding the scallions

basil and lime juice added

 mixed and ready

ladling

.