Whenever I want something light yet filling, I automatically look for my Red Fish Curry recipe. One of my original kitchen experiments with all my favorite ingredients. A bit spicy, salty, sour, creamy, and healthy! This can be eaten with rice or as a soupy noodle dish. I used Thai rice noodles which you can easily find in supermarkets nowadays and cooks instantly- just pour in your piping hot soup and cover for about 5 minutes. You can find the ones available already individually portioned so I always buy those. I ran out of bean sprouts when I made this but feel free to throw in a handful at the end of cooking to have something fresh and crunchy in the dish. Best topped with some cilantro too, but the herb is not that easy to find in the common markets.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons oil
3 garlic cloves
1/2 medium onion
2 medium tomatoes, cubed
2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup straw or button mushrooms
1 piece tanglad or lemongrass, crushed
2 pieces kaffir lime leaves
750 ml water
1 chicken cube
1 tablespoon red curry paste
2 tablespoons tom yum paste
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 fillet of cod fish, cut to 1 inch fillets
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons patis or fish sauce
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup Chinese pechay, cut chiffonade
Fresh Basil leaves, for garnish
Thai flat rice noodles
Procedure:
Over high heat, sauté garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Add your mushrooms and lemongrass. Add lime leaves and water. Bring to a boil then add chicken cube. Lower heat to simmer and add all the pastes. Add the fish fillets and cook for 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk, patis, salt and cook for about 5 more minutes. Adjust saltiness according to taste. Serve this piping hot.
In individual serving bowls, add your pechay and rice noodles. Pour piping hot soup and cover for about 5 minutes or until noodles are cooked and soft. Top with fresh basil leaves.
* You can add bean sprouts, and garnish with some cilantro and lime wedges.