Mussels in Curry Broth (serves 1 or 2)

mussels in curry broth

It is my day off after working a stretch of long days. My husband is away but it does not stop me from cooking something tasty for myself. I want to eat some fresh mussels and here is my favorite way to cook and eat mussels. One of the staff at work gave me some hot chili peppers so I added them to this dish to give it a bite! Thank you, Katie!!  The scallions and Thai basil leaves came from my garden.

Mussels in Curry Broth (serves 1 or 2)

Ingredients:

2 lbs fresh mussels, scrub, de-beard, and wash in cold water
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/3 C chopped onions
1 scallion, chopped
1 Tbsp Madras curry powder
25 Thai basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1/2 C unsweetened coconut milk
1 hot chili pepper, chopped (optional)
1 whole hot chili pepper, for garnish (optional)
1 small French bread, sliced in 1/2-inch width, toasted and rubbed with garlic

Method:

1) Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
2) Add onions and sauté about 1 minute until translucent.
3) Stir in scallions, curry powder, basil leaves, chili, and garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
4) Add the mussels, coconut milk, mirin, cook and stir the pot frequent about 5-7 minutes or until the mussels open up, may cover the pot for the last 1 minute to cook the mussels further.
5) Serve mussels with toasted French bread.

wild mussels (Star Island, NH, 2011)

throw away any broken shells,
de-beard and wash the mussels

outdoor cooking is great for
cooking food with a strong odor
and for cooking in the heat of summer 

sauté onions, scallions, garlic, curry powder, and basil leaves

add the mussels and cook until all the mussels opened up

my favorite part of cooking...EATING!

now that was delicious and filling! :--)

*This lunch was made for one person, however you may easily double the amount of ingredients for 2 people. I did not add any salt, water or broth to this dish. The broth came out of the mussels and it is great to soak the toasted bread! If the broth is too salty to your taste just add a little water. If you do not have coconut milk you may substitute with heavy cream or half & half.