Author Notes
Who doesn't love the flavors of Thailand in one bowl? I know in my household this is always a hit. So I thought why not combine both hearty earthy greens such as Kale and Swiss Chard to a Thai style curry bowl. I took it one step further to cement this as a main course and added poached salmon on top. It was a full flavor meal, slightly spicy and packed with goodness.
I used a mix of light coconut milk and chicken stock to make the broth along with a thai paste. You can either buy yours or make it from scratch as I did. To cut the cooking time best to buy the paste but honestly to make your own always tastes better and then is without all the nasty preservative stuff that allows it to sit on the shelf forever! Preparation for making the paste is always a must and if you plan to cook Thai more than once I suggest to take the guesswork and stress out of it just buy the ingredients and always keep on hand.
The Thai Basil Leaves freeze well and in fact you can even freeze Galangal.
Enjoy! —thespicegirl
Ingredients
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6
Green Chillies (I like to use Jalepeno as they are milder than others)
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1
Finger of Galangal (chopped) - if you cannot find galangal sub it with ginger
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1 handful
Small of Holy Basil Leaves plus more for garnish
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4
Shallots
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4
Garlic Cloves
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1 handful
small cilantro stems and leaves plus more for garnish
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1 teaspoon
ground roasted coriander
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1 teaspoon
ground roasted cumin
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1 teaspoon
Fish Paste
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1
Lime Juice only plus another for garnish
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2
Lemongrass stalks white only
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1 teaspoon
Black Pepper
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2
Cans of Light Coconut Milk
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1/2 liter
Chicken Stock (you can use a bit more if you want it more like a broth)
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1 1/2 tablespoons
Fish Sauce
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2 tablespoons
Sugar (you can also use honey or agave)
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1-2 teaspoons
Salt (add at end and taste)
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1
Fillet of Salmon Skin on and cut into 5 cm strips
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1 bunch
Kale stems removed and shredded
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1 bunch
Swiss Chard stems removed and shredded
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8
red potatoes quartered
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1 handful
toasted cashews for garnish
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6
Kaffir lime leaves (4 for the paste and 2 for the sauce)
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2
Vine Ripe Tomatoes chopped and added to pot just before serving
Directions
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First make your paste by putting chillies, galangal, shallots, garlic cloves, small handful of cilantro, small handful of holy basil leaves, roasted cumin and coriander, fish paste, juice of 1 lime, black pepper and lemongrass into blender. You may need to add a little oil to this or water to allow it to blend. Once completely blended remove and leave to the side. You will not need all the paste you just made so the rest can be store for a week in an airtight container in the fridge or in your freezer for 2 months.
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Take a 1/3 cup of the paste you just made and put into a large enough pan that you can poach 4 pieces of salmon filet. Heat pan add the paste and a little coconut milk and allow the paste to cook for a couple minutes before added the rest of the coconut milk. Once you add the remaining coconut milk then add the fish sauce, other 2 kaffir lime leaves and sugar allow the mixture to heat in the pan but you do not want it to come to a boil. You want it to be at the stage just before boil when small air pockets are released into the pan. Now add your fish and cook for 10-12 minutes or until just cooked. Remove salmon and wrap in tin foil to keep heat in. Leave to the side.
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Turn the heat up in the pan and add the potatoes and stock. Simmer mixture until potatoes are just cooked - approx 10 minutes. Now add the kale and the Swiss Chard and cook until wilted. Now add tomatoes just before you are ready to serve. Add salt to taste.
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Place a scoopful of the potato kale mixture into a low lying bowl and place a piece of salmon over the top. Then scoop the sauce over the whole thing. Add cashew nuts, chopped cilantro and holy basil leaves and a dash of lime juice. Enjoy!
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