My wife, Pam, and I both love Thai food. This simple northern Thai curry is inspired by the yellow curry served at Tong D in Barrington, Rhode Island, one of our favorite local restaurants.
Ingredients
- 3 cans full-fat coconut milk
- ¾ cup good-quality yellow curry paste
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled, diced and boiled until just tender
- 1 sweet onion, sliced thin
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced thin
- 1 pound locally-landed sea scallops
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar (see note)
- 6 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sambal chili paste
- Juice of 1 lime
- 6 cups cooked jasmine rice, kept warm
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
- ½ cup fresh mint or Thai basil leaves for garnish
Preparation
Heat coconut milk in a large pan over medium heat until the oil starts to separate from the milk. Add the curry paste and stir well. Cook over medium heat until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add reserved sweet potato, onion and red peppers and simmer for 1 minute. Add scallops, palm sugar, fish sauce and sambal and simmer until scallops are just cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the fresh-squeezed lime juice.
To serve, divide the cooked rice between 6 wide bowls and ladle the curry over the rice. Garnish with cilantro and mint. Serves 6 as a main course.
Note: Asiana Market in East Providence carries palm sugar, rice, coconut milk, yellow curry paste, fish sauce and sambal. For the hard block of palm sugar, simply grate it with a box or hand grater and then measure. Popular in Southeast Asian cooking, it’s an unrefined sugar with a low glycemic index.
About this recipe
WINE PAIRING: Clos des Lune, Lune Blanche, Sauternes, France.
Eli’s scallop dish marries the earthy-savory heart of Thai with New England’s local maritime soul. This wine will engage the flavors of the simmered scallops and curry while complementing the cilantro and mint. Exotic notes of vanilla, peach, a nose of lemon-thyme and a hint of minerality create a crisp, enlivening union for this dish. Comprised of 70% Semillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc, the grapes are hand-picked at peak maturity, then aged six months in a combination of steel and concrete vats. Serve mildly chilled, around 55–60°F.
—Marc Berry, Grapes & Grains Fine Wine, Spirits and Craft Beers, Barrington
