Thai Fish Curry

:('s Note:

Kaffir and Galanga can be found in Asian grocers. Kaffir, which has a similar taste to lime, gives a heavenly flavor that is definitely Thai. The galanga is very similar to ginger, and also adds a Thai touch. Monkfish is said to be the poor man's lobster; it has a texture similar to it, but I can guarantee lobster will be the last thing on your mind when you taste this delectable curry.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 medium onion, cut into slivers
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips,strips halved
• 3 -6 Thai red chili peppers, left intact with sides scored (amount to taste) (optional)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon red curry paste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 -12 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 teaspoon galanga powder
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup sake or 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons shrimp sauce (fish sauce ok substitution)
• 1 (13 1/2 ounce) can coconut milk (I used lite)
• 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only,flattened with cleaver and sliced
• 1 lb monkfish, cut into 1 inch cubes (sea bass, orange roughy, grouper, red snapper, salmon are ok substitutions)
• 3 roma tomatoes, peeled and quartered
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, juice of

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet or wok; add curry paste, garlic, lime leaves, and galanga; stir-fry for 1 minute or until mixture becomes very fragrant.
2. Add onions, chiles, and peppers and stir-fry until onions are slightly tender.
3. Add vegetable broth, sake wine, shrimp sauce, coconut milk, lemongrass and bring to a boil.
4. Add the fish cubes and tomato quarters, then cover, and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until fish is firm and cooked.
5. Stir together cornstarch into water to make a slurry and add to wok; stir until curry is thickened; remove kaffir leaves before serving if desired.
6. Add the juice of the lime and stir in, then sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro just before serving.
7. Serve with steamed jasmine rice, if desired.

Reviews

[Sackville]

This is a delectable dish that definitely gets two thumbs up for taste! Imagine a creamy curry sauce, full of flavour but not too spicy and very colourful! The only thing I'd do different next time is cut the amount of broth by up to half to make a thicker sauce, since mine was still a bit too thin even after adding all that cornstarch.

[davidmcarson]

Agreed, everything that previous reviewers have said is true, this dish is phenomenal. I found all of the items I needed at the Puget Sound's Japanese grocery institution (Uwujimaya), but the kafir leaves were outrageously expensive but did add something that I think was important to the flavor profile so I wouldn't recommend ditching them. I used ripe Fresno peppers because I knew the Thai peppers would be too hot for some. It worked perfectly and those who wanted more heat could use some Rooster sauce (sriracha). It's a really phenomenal dish. I used Dover sole filets which was probably not substantial enough as much of it broke into little pieces even though it was added near the end to cook very lightly. Maybe thicker chunks of a white fish would work better next time.