Choo Chee Pla (Fish in Thick Red Curry Sauce)

Wow, I've been away for a long time again and for that I can only apologise. Those of you who saw my last post will know I'd been rather ill, had lost my appetite and wasn't really cooking, hence putting up a post from before I got the lurgy. You'll hopefully be pleased to know that the 2nd round of antibiotics have done their job and I'm now hungry and have most definitely taken over the running of the kitchen again!!

Choo Chee Pla is a dish that has been on my to do list for quite a long time now, there are certainly some similarities with Penang curry - they're both thick, creamy coconut based dishes, predominantly sweet and mild in heat. The main difference is choo chee uses a red curry paste rather than massaman and is always a fish/seafood based one. For convenience and presentation, I've chosen to use fish fillets but whole fish can also be used. For texture (and mostly indulgence) I've chosen to lightly batter and deep fry the fish; not an essential for choo chee; but very nice!

I like to eat this with lots of fresh sweet basil leaves, white rice and something tangy like a som tam salad to cut through the richness.

For two people use:

• 2 large fish fillets cut in half (I've used basa/river cobbler- yes I know it has poor credentials but it's robust and holds up well when deep frying)
• a large handful of plain flour
• 400ml of good coconut milk eg Chakoh or Aroy-D
• a level tablespoon of red curry paste (Mae Ploy is what I always use)
• a large splash of fish sauce
• a large pinch of palm or light brown sugar
• 5 or 6 kaffir lime leaves, rolled and shredded finely
• optionals to serve- sliced large red chilli & Thai sweet basil leaves 
• vegetable oil for deep frying

Heat the oil for deep frying to around 180 degrees celcius. Pat the fish pieces dry with kitchen paper and dust in the plain flour before placing gently in the oil, fry until a light golden brown and crisp (around 5-8 minutes depending on the size). I did mine in two batches so as not to overcrowd the fryer.

While the fish fries, make the sauce. Heat a dry wok and when hot, add in the coconut milk. Allow the milk to bubble away, reduce and the oils to start making their way out- this should take about four to five minutes. Stir gently to help it along.

Next pop in the red curry paste and mix well for several minutes until fully blended and the red oils start to float to the top of the sauce. Add in the fish sauce and sugar, stir well.

Drain the fried fish on kitchen paper before putting on your serving plate, pour over the sauce, sprinkle over the lime leaves and serve up with chillies and sweet basil. Don't leave it hanging around too long so the fish stays crisp.

Moo Khua Kling (Dry Roasted Curry)

 I Had a break from Thai food over the weekend and as a late birthday treat sampled some amazing Japanese/Danish hybrid food at Sticks n Sushi in Greenwich. We couldn’t decide what to pick from their vast menu so went for the lazy option; basically tell the server your budget and they pick for you! We sampled tataki, rice crispie shrimp tempura two ways (whole and with avocado in rolls), black sesame and truffle crispy cauliflower, salmon sahimi, tuna, pork and steak yakitori. The quality of the ingredients and the imaginative way they were served was amazing!
Anyway, since we’ve just arrived back, Moo Khua Kling is a perfect dish to cook as it’s really quick to make and doesn’t need many ingredients. It’s not really a curry at all, as it’s a dry dish though it is stir fried in red curry paste. It’s a Southern Thai dish and like most Southern dishes packs some serious heat. It’s traditional not to add vegetables to the dish but to serving cooling ones alongside.
For two people use:

• 350g minced pork
• a level tablespoon of red curry paste
• a ‘finger’ of fresh turmeric, if available, or a heaped teaspoon of powder
• 8-10 kaffir lime leaves, spine removed, rolled and shredded fine
• a large red chilli, or 4/5 small red, sliced
• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla)
• optional vegetables (cucumber, green cabbage, lettuce etc.)

Bash the fresh turmeric (if using) into a paste in a mortar then mix the turmeric (fresh or powdered) with the red curry paste. Use a non stick wok to dry fry the meat over a high heat until fully cooked and any water has evaporated. Add in the curry paste and mix thoroughly, cooking for a couple of minutes until fragrant and even coloured. Throw in the fish sauce, chilli slices and lime leaves, leaving some back for decoration if you want to. Cook until dry (1 minute or so) then serve with the cooling vegetables.

Moo Pad Prik Gaeng (Pork Stir Fried in Red Curry Paste)

After an eventful weekend back home involving running down mountains in a thunderstorm, getting wasps in places where wasps definitely shouldn’t be and spending some quality time with friends at weddings and indoor BBQs, it was time to cook up a simple and quick Thai dish when I got back to Yorkshire. This quick street food dish needs just 6 ingredients…


For two portions use:

• 200g lean pork, sliced thinly


• a handful of green beans, cut in half


• 50g of red curry paste (Mae Ploy is a good one if you can get it)


• a big splash of Nam Pla (Thai fish sauce)


• a pinch of sugar


• about 6 kaffir lime leaves (Sainsburys sell them fresh, use lime zest otherwise), ripped up


• Vegetable oil for frying (and no I’m not counting this as an ingredient!)

Heat a splash of oil in a wok, when it’s hot, add the curry paste, stir fry for around 30 seconds- it should be smelling really pungent. Add in the pork and stir fry for 3 minutes until it’s almost cooked. Throw in the beans, cook for another minute before adding the fish sauce, sugar and lime leaves- and that’s it. Serve with rice.

Told you this was quick one!