Malay Seafood Curry with Crayfish & Prawns

by Food Alchemist. Professional Chef & Author
Pete Goffe-Wood

This curry base is a winner – it keeps for quite a while in the fridge so don’t stress that it makes more than you need for this particular recipe. It works perfectly well with the seafood but can be used in chicken as well as lamb dishes – just substitute it in recipes that call for a blend of spices or paste. It also makes the base for a great spiced soup with the addition of some stock.

Serves 4

400 g                     mussels
2                           crayfish tail
8                           tiger prawns (peeled & deveined)
200 g                     squid
1tin                       coconut milk
40g/2 tblsps           Malay curry base
2                           flat breads
10g/1 tblsp            mint, chopped roughly
10g/1 tblsp            basil, chopped roughly

Steam the mussels in a covered saucepan with a little water. When the mussels have opened remove them from the pan, strain the remaining liquid into a separate saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the coconut milk, then the prawns and squid and cook for 5 minutes, when the prawns have changed colour add the mussels and crayfish tails. When the mixture begins to simmer stir in the spice paste. Adjust the seasoning and remove from the heat. Stir in the herbs and serve with flat breads.

Malay Curry Base

Makes 3 cups

50 ml                     vegetable oil
1                           onion, finely chopped
2                           red chillies, chopped
5g/1 tsp                 whole cardamom
10g/1 tblsp            star anise
8                           whole cloves
2                           cinnamon sticks
2                           bay leaves
20g/1 tblsp            freshly crushed ginger
20g/1 tblsp            freshly crushed garlic
5g/1 tsp                 ground cumin
10g/2 tsp               ground coriander
5g/1 tsp                 turmeric
15g/3 tsp               Malay curry powder
75 g/¼ cup           mild fruit chutney
410g                      coconut milk
1 handful                fresh coriander roughly chopped

Fry the onion & chilli in the oil. Add the dry spices, garlic & ginger.

Add the curry powder, stirring constantly so that the curry powder does not burn, & the flavours from the spices are released. Add the chutney & coconut cream and simmer for 30 minutes. Once cooked remove from the heat & add the chopped coriander. When the mixture has cooled in will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for at least a week.

Wine notes

Chardonnay, Chardonnay, Chardonnay – this dish is spicy but not hot and a fat, rich, alcoholic and wooded Chardonnay would certainly hit the mark. Nothing to old as the complexity would be lost, just something upfront and fruity.

About Pete Goffe-Wood

Food Alchemist. Professional Chef for 31 years. Judge for Masterchef SA and Ultimate Braai Master. Author of three cookbooks: A Life Digested, Kitchen Cowboys and Blues Restaurant. He’s cooked in Paris, Budapest, Stuttgart, Istanbul, Zagreb and Moscow. He now lives in Cape Town and consults for Majeka House (Stellenbosch), Bosjes (Breede River Valley) and Bazaar (Durban).

Follow him on Instagram: @petegw | Facebook: petegoffe-woodSA

Website: www.petegw.co.za