Kua Curry with Shrimp Dumplings and Pineapple

For a special lunch, this light spicy, sweet seafood dish is a treat. :)

The dumplings look harder than they are. And the sauce combines the red curry paste you've stashed in your fridge from last time, or bought premade so no sweat (until after the spices set in)

Dumplings

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 tbs coriander

1 clove garlic

2 tsp ginger

200 grams white fish filets (I used siika, frozen)

1 cup cooked shrimp, peeled, and deveined (again, I used frozen mini shrimp)

1/4 coconut cream

1 egg

1 tbs fish sauce

Curry

3 tbs Red Curry Paste

1 cup coconut milk

2 tbs palm sugar (or regular sugar is fine)

2 tbs fish sauce

2 cups pineapple chunks

basil

4 Kaffir lime leaves

1.) For the dumplings, create a paste with all of the herbs and spices in a pestle and mortar.

2.) If using frozen fish, like me, lightly steam the fish for about 8 minutes until soften and then grind this also in the pestle and mortar. Remove any obvious bones first if possible.

3.) Do the same with the shrimp. First steam them if necessary, when cooked and peeled and ready, grind also in a pestle and mortar or chop finely.

4.) In a mixing bowl, mix fish, shrimp, spices, a small amount of coconut cream at a time, egg, and fish sauce. If this mixture does not hold together in a ball after held in your fist, add a little bit of flour to the mixture.

5.) Combined the curry ingredients  and simmer for 5 minutes until fragrant, saving the pineapple chunks and basil til the end.

6.) Add the dumplings gently adn cook thoroughly in the boiling curry sauce for about 10 minutes to ensure the fish is cooked through. Add the basil and pineapple.

7.) Serve with jasmine rise.

Sushi- First Attempt

Sushi- it seemed alltogether daunting from the outset. But I have seen J & F do it a few times, so I figured I'd give it a go. It was inspired by this beautiful weather, and I was hoping to make this into a picnic lunch.

First, assemble the necessary ingredients:

Pictured I have here:

rice (soaking)

nori, seaweed sheets

bamboo rolling mat

rice wine vinegar

pickled ginger strips

black sesame seeds

wasabe paste

assorted vegetables: jullienned carrots, bok choy cabbage, avocado, cucumber

Really, the only thing you need to pay attention to is getting the rice right. But since the main thing with the rice is the rinse and soak, it really isn't that hard. I made rice with 2 cups of uncooked rice, and 2.5 cups water. This was already too much for little ole me, because it rendered enough for 4-5 rolls.

Start with your rice in a collander and bowl. Cover the rice with water and swirl a few times, get your hands in there and mix it around, don't be afraid to get those hands wet! Drain the water from the rice and repeat the process. Finally towards the end I just put the collander full of rice under the faucet and let it run. Repeat washing and rinsing until the water exiting is clear and not foggy anymore.

Then, soak the rice fully covered in water for at least a half an hour.

Cook the rice in a 1:1.2 ratio, or really not much more water than there is rice. Like other rices, you let the water boil first, add the rice, bring back to a boil for a moment and turn down the heat to low and cover. This kind of rice only takes about 20 minutes to cook. Remove from heat and set aside with the lid still on top to 'steam' further.

Rice Vinegar

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 tbs white sugar

1 tsp salt

Heat the vinegar ingredients on the stove top just long enough for the salt and sugar to dissolve. Remove from heat and let vinegar cool.

Mix the vinegar into the rice, gently not to break too much rice, and let all cool.

Now you're ready to begin.

Start by placing the rough side of the nori face up on the bamboo mat

With wet hands, place a large mound (a little more than a handful) on top of the middle of the nori. Spread evenly over the nori (this is easier with wet hands). Start with less than you need, because adding more rice is easier than taking rice away.

Leave an inch or so without rice at the end so you can close the roll properly.

Add the other ingredients, such as fish if you have some top quality fresh fish, or in my case the vegeteables and crab sticks.

Roll tightly with the bamboo mat until closed. Cut with a sharp knife, and serve with soy sauce, ginger and wasabi. Enjoy!

To make the inside-out roll is a bit trickier. You must first cover your bamboo mat in plastic wrap, seed lightly with sesame seeds, and roll out the rice on top of that, about the same dimensions as the nori sheets. Cut one nori sheet in half, place the fillings on top of the nori sheet and roll tightly.

Curried fish soup (Me ga thi)

This soup is inspired by something from Laos though I think it's pale in comparison in both heat and lime-ishness. Yes, I said lime-ishness. Spell check can stick it where the sun don't shine.

2 large onions, diced

3 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 gloves garlic, crushed
2'' piece of fresh ginger, peele and finely diced
2 tbs peanut oil
1 vegetable boullion cube
2 tbs yellow curry
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
4-5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
100 grams white fish (I used frozen Alaskan Pollock)
1/2- 1 cup coconut milk
handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
handful of fresh coriander, chopped roughly

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the garlic, onion, ginger and spices and fry on medium high until the onions are translucent and the spices are aromatic.

2. Add 4 cups of water, the coconut milk, and vegetable bullion cube and turn heat down to simmer.

3. Add celery, potatoes, carrots and fish and return to a low boil. Heat until potatoes and carrots are tender. I used frozen fish, so I put the whole filets in the broth and once cooked, the filets were easily flaked apart.

4. Add tomatoes and coriander just before serving.

Ok, so the tomatoes and potatoes aren't really Laos, but I needed to use these potatoes finally and I didn't have any lime on hand, so I used the tomatoes for a little acidity. For me it didn't quite hit the spot, and next time I'll just go out and get some lime. For this I was just happy to be able to use what I had already laying around.

Cleaning out my fridge after Vappu means I have a few veggies left (including asparagus which is finally in season :) a half bottle of whiskey and a bottle of sparkling wine.... Hmmm...