WHAT YEAR IS IT

I'm channeling some serious Robin Williams à la Jumanji because GODDAMN, it's been 6 months of lackadaisical gastrosluticity. Not posting for so long makes me a really bad slut...which, contrarily, makes me sound like a good slut. In any case, I'm posting now so stop waggling your fingers at my good/bad/slutty face.

This post is about curry because the rich Southeast Asian flavours reminiscent of my childhood are evocative of heartwarming personal nostalgia  that shit is tasty.

This was originally  a curry made by my Burmese mother, but then I subtracted and added a couple of things quite atypical of the cuisine. Now it's just sort of generally Southeast Asian, verging on ethnically confused (not unlike myself).

Southeastsomething Seafood Curry

- 1 lb white fish
   (we use halibut or basa)

- 1.5 lbs prawns
   (a little shell left on is better than not!)
- handful of cilantro
- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 4 yellow onions, diced

- 1.5 heads of garlic, minced
- 3 inch chunk of ginger, minced

- 1 cup lemongrass pulp
   (see this post for dealing with lemongrass)

- handful of lime leaves
   (15-20...ish)

- 3 tsp paprika
- 3 tsp turmeric

- 1 tsp chili flakes
   (or to taste)
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper

- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp nuoc mam
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
   (raw cane sugar is ok, too)
- 2 400ml cans  coconut milk

Start by patting the seafood dry, cutting the fish into large chunks, and mincing up the cilantro. My ma says that turmeric takes away any possible fishiness - a tidbit of wisdom which was delivered with exquisite stink eye as I questioned her methods. Add about a teaspoon of turmeric into your (separate) piles of fish and prawns, along with the minced cilantro which I can only assume you have since deduced to halve.

Set the sea-things aside, place a large pan with the oil over medium heat, and add both the onion and garlic. You want the pan's contents to sweat but not brown, so stir often. Once your onions have gone sort of translucent, you can incorporate the lemongrass pulp, ginger, chili, salt, pepper, lime leaves, paprika, and remaining teaspoon of turmeric.

...Paprika might seem like a weird thing to add in, I know; it's pretty much just for colour in this recipe.

Mix it all up for a minute or two until the lemongrass and lime leaves get fragrant. At this point you can add the coconut milk, palm sugar, nuoc mam, and lime juice to the pan. Allow the whole shebang to continue simmering uncovered for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I enjoy a thicker curry, so I tend to let it reduce by about a third.

When it has reduced to your liking, place the fish chunks in first and cover them with sauce. Let it all continue to cook for just about 5 minutes. Shake the pan if you must, but do try to avoid shoveling the goods around as much as possible; the fish is delicate and will break apart easily. After about 5 minutes you can dump in your prawns and allow the curry to simmer for another couple of minutes until the crustaceans are cooked through. I'm a fan of letting most other curries mellow overnight, however this is best served right away to avoid overcooking the seafood.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and fried chili flakes - avoid scratching your butt after handling said chili flakes.