Thai-spiced Fish Stew

 "This is heaven in a bowl and needs no more introduction than that" says Kate Humble.

I think you could use the Vegetarian Butcher's "Cod Almighty" and "Shrimpees" to make it vegan, (or perhaps tofu?) but I'll give the original full recipe below: 

Ingredients (serves 4)

300g firm white fish, cut into chunks

200g raw peeled king prawns [or whatever you have]

Flavourless oil, such as sunflower or rapeseed/"Granola" [for the delicate amongst you]

 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and bashed

3cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled [or not] and grated or finely chopped 

4 garlic cloves, finely sliced [I used a mandolin]

3 spring onions, sliced [into strips]

1 long red chili, sliced

1 Tbl tomato puree

150g cherry tomatoes, halved

160ml coconut cream 

500ml fish or vegetable stock [cube]

1 Tbl fish sauce [oyster sauce e.g.]

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbl tamarind/assem

250g sugar snap peas [or regular, if you don't have them!]

Leaves from a small bunch of Thai basil [ditto]

Sea salt and freshly ground Black pepper

 

Method

1. Put fish and prawns ito a bowl and sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of salt [or do this before chopping them]. Mix well and leave to one side for up to 1 hour [basically whilst you're doing the rest]
   
2. Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat, add a dash of oil and stir the lemongrass, ginger, garlic, two-thirds of the spring onions and the chili over the heat until the garlic turns golden. [This is where I differ. I always sweat my onions before continuing to let them turn golden.] Add the tomato puree and stir for a minute.
3. Tip in the tomatoes, the coconut cream and the stock and mix to combine.
4. Then stir in the fish sauce [or appropriate alternative] sugar and tamarind and bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjut the seasoning, bearing in mind the fish with its salt will be added shortly. More fish sauce will give a saltier flavour, extra tamarind will increase the sour.
5. Add the fish, prawns and sugar snap peas and mix through. Simmer gently for a further 3-4 minutes, or unti lthe fish is only just cooked through.
   
6. Remove the lemongrass stalks and discard. Serve in bowls, scattered with basil and spring onions.

This is really easy and very delicious!

COCONUT POACHED FISH

 This recipe is from a website called HoneyKitchen, but in order to see it, 

you have to accept all cookies, which I always refuse.

This is a very easy and fast recipe but tastes lovely!

INGREDIENTS:

1 can 400ml coconut cream

1 T fish sauce

1T brown sugar

2 tsp (!) sambal oelek

1 (!) clove garlic

4 fish fllets (I used half the coconut cream with the same amount of ingredients for two fillets )

1 cup spinach leaves

Boiled rice and chopped Spring onions to garnish

 

1. Bring first 6 ingredients to the boil
2. Add fish and simmer gently for 8-10 minutes ('til fish flakes easily)
3. Place fish on your beds of rice
4. Stir spinach through poaching liquid and simmer for 1 min
5. Drizzle fish with poaching liquid 
6. Top with inividual spinach leaves, spring onions and slices of chili (as desired) to serve.

Bon appétit!