It should have been easy. Shesimmers’ recipe for fish in red curry had only a few ingredients, cooks in a few minutes. I’d bought a catfish filet and a small eggplant while running errands at lunch.
I was pretty sure I had coconut milk in the pantry, and leftover red curry paste in a plastic tub in the fridge. Nope, neither. How’d that happen?
I have a can of coconut cream in the freezer (ice cream scoop wouldn’t work, needed to thaw it), so amp up the quantity there… and some stock in an ice cube tray. Could be veal, could be turkey, but it isn’t the shrimp stock I thought I had (I think it’s the turkey). And some kind of freezer burned green curry paste. Ok it might be a little thin, but hey were back in business. I’ve got kaffir lime leaves, lemon grass and galangal slices in the freezer too, to kick up the flavors, and fresh cilantro and jalapeno. I’d put up brown jasmine rice earlier.
And it worked: rich, spicy, herbal
Recipe: Freezer Scrounged Catfish Green Thai Curry
Serves two: dinner and lunch for one.
Ingredients
1 catfish filet, 8 oz (230g), cut into 1″ (2.5cm)
1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into 1″ (2.5 cm) cubes
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and cut into slivers
2 tbs (30 ml) oil
1/2 cup (240 ml) stock
1/2 cup (240 ml) coconut cream
1/2 cup (240 ml) water
1/3 cup (160 ml) green curry paste (use less if yours isn’t freezer burned)
3 kaffir lime leaves, vein removed and slivered
A small handful of chopped cilantro
1 tbs (15 ml) fish sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
A couple slices of galangal and lemon grass
Put the eggplant cubes on a paper towel, and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat the oil, curry paste and coconut cream on medium until it sizzles and is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add the fish and eggplant, stock, water, fish sauce, sugar, chile, lemon grass and galangal.
Cover and simmer for about four minutes, stirring once or twice.
Serve over jasmine rice, garnish with the line leaves and cilantro.
