Keralan Mussels
I first tried mussels as a skinny legged Asian kid in France, they repulsed me. The texture, the fiddly clawing of shell and meat, creamy garlic sauce dripping down my fingers and wrists. But something stuck. I couldn’t stop ripping apart crunchy, spongy baguette and dipping it into the sauce…again and again and again. A decade or so on I found myself feasting cheek by sloppy jowl at Belgos, the Covent Garden Belgian inspired restaurant famed for its Moules Frites. Thankfully my taste buds were maturing into some form of post adolescent sophistication. Baguette was replaced with a mountain of slim frites and the mussel pots came steaming with a delightful broth, which when revealed contributed to a miniscule facial. Ever since then I’ve been a fan, sensationally quick to cook, blushingly cheap to procure and more versatile than Spider Man performing Vinyasa flow. As with most seafood dishes I can’t resist re-mixing them with Indian flavours, particularly South Indian ingredients. So here’s my contribution, Keralan mussels bathed in silky coconut, sharp ginger, fresh verdant herbs and tingly red chilli. Irresistible with frites, puffy naans or a fresh crusty baguette.
Serves 4
- 1kg mussels, scrubbed and rinsed
- 50ml vegetable oil
- 12 curry leaves, fresh or frozen (if you can only get dried ones, re-hydrate them in a little water to soften them) – don’t worry if you can’t get hold of them
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- Ginger, small thumb, peeled and grated
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbs tomato puree
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 400ml thick coconut milk
- 1 large fresh red chilli, de-seeded
- Ginger, small thumb, peeled and sliced julienne (fine matchsticks)
- Fresh coriander, palm full, chopped roughly
How To Make Keralan Mussels
- Sift through the mussels and ditch ones that don’t open when you tap them. Scrub them well removing the ‘beardy’ bits and rinse them in cold water thoroughly to make sure they’re free from grit. Soak them in a bowl of water.
- Using a large non stick pan with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Then add the curry leaves and onions and fennel seeds and sauté for around 10 mins until the onions have tanned a deep blonde.
- Next, pop in the grated ginger and garlic, cook for a couple of minutes then add the tomato puree, sugar, salt, chilli powder and turmeric. Stir thoroughly and the mix will dry with the spices, now add the coconut milk and allow to cook until the edges bubble.
- Scoop handfuls of mussels and pop into the sauce, stir well, cover and cook for 3- 4minutes until all the shells have opened. Bin any shells that haven’t opened, take off the heat.
- Scatter over the chilli, ginger cover and steam for another couple of minutes…flutter in the coriander leaves and serve with something to soak up the sauce.
Keralan Mussels
I first tried mussels as a skinny legged Asian kid in France, they repulsed me. The texture, the fiddly clawing of shell and meat, creamy garlic sauce dripping down my fingers and wrists. But something stuck. I couldn’t stop ripping apart crunchy, spongy baguette and dipping it into the sauce…again and again and again. A decade or so on I found myself feasting cheek by sloppy jowl at Belgos, the Covent Garden Belgian inspired restaurant famed for its Moules Frites. Thankfully my taste buds were maturing into some form of post adolescent sophistication. Baguette was replaced with a mountain of slim frites and the mussel pots came steaming with a delightful broth, which when revealed contributed to a miniscule facial. Ever since then I’ve been a fan, sensationally quick to cook, blushingly cheap to procure and more versatile than Spider Man performing Vinyasa flow. As with most seafood dishes I can’t resist re-mixing them with Indian flavours, particularly South Indian ingredients. So here’s my contribution, Keralan mussels bathed in silky coconut, sharp ginger, fresh verdant herbs and tingly red chilli. Irresistible with frites, puffy naans or a fresh crusty baguette.
Serves 4
- 1kg mussels, scrubbed and rinsed
- 50ml vegetable oil
- 12 curry leaves, fresh or frozen (if you can only get dried ones, re-hydrate them in a little water to soften them) – don’t worry if you can’t get hold of them
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- Ginger, small thumb, peeled and grated
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbs tomato puree
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 400ml thick coconut milk
- 1 large fresh red chilli, de-seeded
- Ginger, small thumb, peeled and sliced julienne (fine matchsticks)
- Fresh coriander, palm full, chopped roughly
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