Recipe by Wing Li, executive chef, Linda Modern Thai, Toronto
This is a traditional way of cooking fish in Thailand, and complements fish with a more pronounced flavour. Other fish we recommend include catfish, trout and pomfret. The red curry paste has quite a bite so be careful. A blended red curry paste adds more flavour to the curry and will cut down on the spiciness. If time is an issue, red curry paste can be used directly.
Blended Curry Paste Ingredients:
45 g (or half a can) red curry paste (we recommend Maesri curry pastes)
30 g lemongrass
30 g shallots
30 g galangal
75 g red bell pepper
4 g coriander powder
4 g cumin
10 g kosher salt
2.5 g shrimp paste
10 g sugar
4 g garlic powder
Method:
1. Blend all ingredients, except for the red curry paste, with 100 ml of water in a blender until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
2. Pour the mixture onto a wok or a frying pan on medium heat and slowly fry until most of the moisture has evaporated and the blend becomes a thick paste. Stir constantly to prevent burning.
3. Add the canned red curry paste into the wok and stir the two pastes together until blended evenly.
Yield: serves one
Grilled Pompano with Banana Leaf ingredients:
one or two large banana leaves, enough to wrap the fish
choice of fish, either filet or whole
blended red curry paste
Method:
1. Spread the blended red curry paste onto the fish. If using a whole fish, spread on the inside of the fish as well.
2. Wrap the fish in the banana leaf until fully covered. Wrap the banana leaf-wrapped fish in aluminum foil to prevent burning when cooking.
3. Grill the fish on a barbecue, or bake it in an oven. If using an oven, bake the fish at 232⁰C (450⁰F) for 25 minutes (for a 1lb fish). Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the fish.
4. Cut the aluminum foil open just before serving. Be careful of the hot steam. Add kosher salt to taste.
