These seafood parcels are steamed in small cups made of banana leaf. You may use aluminum foil or small cupcake tins. You can also make one large cake about 1 in (3 cm) thick, in an 8 x 8 in (20 x 20 cm) heatproof cake or brownie dish, and then slice it into squares for serving.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (180 ml) coconut cream
- 1 teaspoon rice flour
- 4 oz (100 g) boneless white fish fillets, cut into thin slices
- 4 oz (100 g) fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined, cut into small pieces
- 4 oz (100 g) squid, cleaned and cut into tiny pieces
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1¼ cups (300 ml) coconut milk
- ½ cup (20 g) finely chopped Thai basil leaves (horapa)
- 2 tablespoons very thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves
- Coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish
- 1 red finger-length chili, thinly sliced Banana leaf cups
- 2 in (5 cm) square
Spice Paste
- 10-15 dried chilies, slit open lengthwise, deseeded and soaked in water
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 slices galangal
- 2 teaspoons chopped coriander (cilantro) root
- 1 teaspoon grated kaffir lime rind
- 5 black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste (kapee), dry-roasted
How to Make It
- Mix the coconut cream with the rice flour and bring to a boil, stirring until thick. Remove iron the heat and cool for topping.
- Grind the Spice Paste ingredients in a blender or a mortar and pestle. Mix the Spice Paste with the fish, shrimp, squid, egg and fish sauce. Then add the coconut milk, a little at a time. Add half the basil and kaffir lime leaves and mix in.
- Place one of the remaining basil leaves in the bottom of each cup or at the bottom of a heatproof baking dish, fill with the seafood mixture, cover and steam for 15 minutes.
- Remove the cups from the steamer, and top each one with a little of the boiled coconut cream, coriander leaves, kaffir lime leaf and sliced chili.
- Return to the steamer an cook for 1 more minute.
