Steamed Mussels with Lemongrass Coconut Curry

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• 2 lbs mussels, scrubbed & picked through (discard cracked shells and ones that don't close when tapped)
• 1 stalk of lemongrass, white part grated with microplane grater (substitute with 4 wide strips of lemon peel, or a tbsp of lemongrass paste)
• 2 bottles of clam juice
• 1 can (14oz) of good coconut milk (shake can vigorously to mix the fat with the liquid)
• 1/2 cup of Thai curry paste (add less depending on your spice tolerance)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (or substitute with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 small skeins of mung bean noodles (cellophane/glass noodles) soaked in cold water for 5 minutes.
• chopped scallions & chili for topping

Preparation

Step 1

1. Fry the curry paste: In a wok or large pot, turn heat to medium. When wok is hot, but not smoking, add 2 tbsp curry paste and the lemongrass. Fry for 30 seconds to release its flavors.
2. Add the clam juice, fish sauce, sugar and coconut milk.. Simmer for 3 minutes. (If you are using lemon peel, discard it.)
3. Taste the broth. If you want more heat, add more curry paste. In the meantime, drain your mung bean noodles. The noodles should still be a little stiff.
4. Steam the mussels: Turn heat to high and add your mussels. Immediately cover with a tight fitting lid. Steam on high for 4 minutes.
5. Open lid, scootch the mussels to one side, add mung bean noodles and cook for another minute uncovered.
6. Use large spoon to redistribute the mussels from the top to the bottom of the broth, cook another 30 seconds and it's done! Top with chopped chilies and scallions.