Pictorial: Mussels Stir-Fried with Thai Basil

[hzrt8w]

Pictorial Recipe

Mussels Stir-Fried with Thai Basil (九層塔炒淡菜)

Some Chinese restaurants offer mussel dishes. However, most that I have seen are cooked in Kung Pao style, with garlic and green onions, or with black bean sauce. I am inspired by some Thai/Vietnamese style stir-fries which cook mussels with Thai basil. The dish presented here is not a traditional Chinese dish but it is very delicious.

Picture of the finished dish:

Serving Suggestion: 2-3

Preparations:

Main ingredients (upper right, clockwise):

- Shelled mussels, about 1 to 1 1/2 lb

- 3 stalks of green onions

- Garlic, use 5-6 cloves

- 1 Chili pepper (e.g. jalapeno pepper)

- 2 large shallots

- Ginger, use 2-inch in length

- (Special feature) Thai sweet basil sauce, use about 3-4 tblsp

- 1 large onion

- Fresh Thai basil, about 4-6 oz

This is the feature of this dish: Fresh Thai basil.

The stems are very tough. Peel off the leaves from the stems. Discard the stems.

Trim, peel and wedge 1 onion. Trim ends on the green onions, cut diagonally into thin shreds. Peel and finely chop 2 shallots. Peel and mince 5-6 cloves of garlic. Grate about 2-inch worth of ginger. Trim ends and thinly slice 1 jalapeno pepper.

This is another feature of this dish: Chili Paste with Thai Basil (Holy Basil).

This is what the "Chili Paste with Thai Basil" looks like. Use 3-4 tblsp of this paste to cook.

To add more flavor, I used 1 tblsp of Yank Sing Hot Chili Sauce. You may also use some other chili sauces.

Cooking Instructions:

Use a pan/wok, set stove to high. Add enough water to parboil the mussels. Add a few slivers of ginger to the mixture. Boil for about 2-3 minutes.

Drain the mussels using a colander. Discard the ginger slivers.

Clean and dry the pan/wok. Set stove to high. Wait until pan/wok is hot. Add 3 tblsp of cooking oil. Add minced garlic, shredded green onions, chopped shallots, sliced chili pepper, and grated ginger. Add 1/4 of salt (or to taste). Stir well. Dash in 2 tsp of ShaoHsing cooking wine.

Add 3-4 tblsp of the featured Chili Paste with Thai Basil and 2 tsp of Yank Sing Hot Chili Sauce.

Add wedged onion and stir well.

Return the mussels and add the Thai basil.

Continue to stir-fry for a few minutes and stir well. Add 2-3 tsp of sugar and a dash of light soy sauce (or fish sauce) towards the end. Finished. Transfer to a serving plate. I like this dish dry. If you want it saucey, simple add some water or chicken broth. Use corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce.

Picture of the finished dish.

(Note: The quantity of food made in this recipe is about twice the portion shown in this picture.)

Variations

You may use chicken, shrimp, squid or clams to cook this dish. The cooking method is very similar.

[Radio7]

I have been cooking seafood alot lately, and mussels are one of my favorites. I'm also expanding my 'spicy horizons'. This dish looks delicious.

Thanks for posting it, I'll definitely give it a whirl.