Food Network: Erawan's Red Curry Lobster

	Print 4x6 Recipe Cards
	Print this recipe out and cut along the dotted lines to add this 4x6 recipe card to your personal collection.

Erawan's Red Curry Lobster
Recipe courtesy Erawan, copyright 2004

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut cream, see Cook's Note
2 tablespoons red curry paste, recipe follows
1 1/3 cup coconut milk, see Cook's Note
6 Thai eggplant, cut in chunks*
2 tablespoons fish sauce*
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/3 teaspoons sugar
5 kaffir lime leaves, torn into small pieces*
12 to 14 ounces cooked lobster meat, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup basil leaves
2 red finger hot chiles, thinly sliced, for garnish*

Serving suggestion: steamed rice

Instructions
*Available at Asian markets

Bring the coconut cream to a simmer over medium heat in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the
red curry paste and simmer, stirring, for several minutes. Add the coconut milk, simmer for 1 to 2
minutes then add the eggplant, fish sauce, salt, sugar and kaffir lime leaves. Simmer the curry
until the eggplant is soft and cooked, about 15 minutes. Add the lobster and basil and heat through.
Spoon the curry into a serving bowl, garnish with sliced chiles and serve with rice.

Cook's Note: Coconut cream and milk are produced by pureeing coconut with an equal amount of hot
water. The mixture is then squeezed through a fine cloth. The resulting liquid will clearly separate
with the cream rising to the top. One coconut yields approximately 1 cup of cream. The amount of
milk will vary slightly and can be increased by squeezing the pureed coconut with a little
additional hot water.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided
by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and
therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

Red Curry Paste:
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
15 dried birds-eye chiles, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
4 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh lemongrass
3 kaffir lime leaves, minced
20 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste*
Water

*Available at Asian markets

Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small pan over very low heat
until fragrant, about 5 minutes. In a spice grinder or mortar, grind the seeds to a fine powder.
Transfer the spice powder to a blender. Add the chiles, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, lime leaves,
peppercorns and shrimp paste. Puree, adding water a tablespoon at a time, until the mixture forms a
thick paste. Store covered in a cool dry place.