Sunday, August 29, 2010

Salmon & Bak Choi in a Green Coconut Curry


We eat oily fish about 1-2 times a week. With salmon being so accessible in the Pacific North West, it’s no surprise that it features heavily in our diet. This is one of our favorite salmon dishes.

The curry has the hotness from the spices, which is tamed by the thick and creamy coconut milk. The salmon is poached and the bak choi is lightly blanched, so it’s all pretty healthy. It's a really good week-day dinner.

SALMON & BAK CHOI IN A GREEN COCONUT CURRY
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
1 tsp oil to fry the garlic
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
250 g (8 ¾ oz) salmon fillet, skinned and de-boned, cut into 2 ½ cm (1 inch) chunks
800 g (1 ¾ lb) bak choi, chopped into 2 ½ cm (1 inch) pieces
½ t oil to fry the onions
½ small onion, peeled, chopped
2 tsp Mae Ploy green curry paste*, or more to taste
165 ml (5.6 fl oz, a very small can) coconut milk
1 ½ T corn flour^ (cornstarch), unmodified potato starch or tapioca starch mixed in 2 T water

* Available at Oriental (Asian) stores.
^ Corn flour (UK) is completely different to corn flour (US). If not in the UK, please use corn starch and NOT corn flour.

Method
1. In a small frying pan (skillet), heat the oil for garlic until hot. Add the sliced garlic and fry until golden. Set aside.

2. In a large frying pan (skillet) or wok. Add just boiled water and the salmon cubes. Poach for about 3-4 minutes or until done, using a slotted spoon, scoop out the salmon and set aside.

3. In the same water and pan, blanch the bak choi for 3-4 minutes or until cooked. They should be crisp and not soggy. Drain and set aside.

4. Wipe the large frying pan (skillet) or wok clean with a kitchen (paper) towel. Heat the ½ tsp oil until hot. Fry the onions until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.

5. Add the curry paste and 360 ml (1 ½ c) water**, stir until well incorporated. Bring to a boil.

6. Add the bak choi and salmon chunks, stir for 1 minute. Add the starch slurry and stir until slightly thickened. Add the coconut milk, stir and take off the heat. Serve with rice, sprinkled with the crispy garlic flakes, enjoy!

** You may need to add a bit more water to thin the curry out later in step 6.

No comments:

Post a Comment