Choo Chee Pla
Melt in Your Mouth Cod in a Flavorful Curry!
One of my absolute favorite cuisines is Thai food. I really enjoy this cuisine because of its flavor profiles — the harmonious balance of the sweet, sour, salty, and spicy notes that are found in many Thai dishes. Perhaps this speaks to my being a Libra in wanting balance and harmony. Plus, the dishes are just downright delicious! I enjoyed Thai food for years but never used to prepare the dishes myself until I realized how easy that they are to make. Now, I cook Thai food and often wonder why I never did that before. Like any dish, it is about getting good ingredients, having the right cooking tools, and cooking with love.
One of my favorite dishes is Choo Chee Pla (fish in a Thai red curry, infused with kaffir lime leaves). Not all Thai restaurants carry this dish, so it can sometimes be hard to find. The good news is that it is truly simple to prepare! If you like fish and Thai red curry, I hope you give this recipe a try.
First off, this dish has an unbelievable aroma! This is because of the infusion of the kaffir lime leaf. Often, kaffir lime leaves are julienned and added to the dish. However, I have found that using kaffir lime leaf powder really infuses the kaffir lime leaf flavor profile in this dish (plus, I love having this spice available in my pantry to use when needed). In my opinion, it is not a choo chee curry without kaffir lime leaf — the aroma and taste are unmistakable! Whether you use fresh, dry, or powdered kaffir lime leaves, it is a very important ingredient to this dish which makes it immediately recognizable from other Thai red curries.
You will also find that this curry only uses a little over half of the amount of coconut milk that is typically used for many other Thai curries, such as Gaeng Gai (red curry dish) or Gaeng Keow Wan (green curry dish). It is just enough curry to coat the fish with a little leftover curry to enjoy with your jasmine rice.
This dish is also versatile. I used cod, but catfish and tilapia also work well in this dish. I always have rice and red curry in my pantry, so I can thaw out the fish that I have in the freezer and prepare this dish in less than a half-hour. And, as a bonus, I made Tom Kha soup (Thai coconut milk soup) the next day for lunch with the leftover coconut milk that I had in preparing this dish and had it with my leftover rice!
Serve with jasmine rice. And, eat it with a fork and spoon. Pushing some of the rice with your fork onto the spoon containing some of the fish and curry really allows one to enjoy all the flavor profiles of this dish.
If you like fish and enjoy Thai food, please give this dish a try!
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. cod
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. refined, coconut oil
2 oz. red curry paste
8 oz. coconut milk, plus 2 tbsp. coconut milk
1 tbsp. kaffir lime leaf powder (3 julienned kaffir lime leaves)
1 tbsp. sugar (I use light brown sugar)
1 ½ tbsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. ground Thai chili pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Frying Fish
· Heat 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil in a 14-inch frypan over medium-high heat.
· Fry fish fillets for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
· Once the fish is done, place it on a plate and set it aside.
Curry
· Heat 2 tbsp. of refined coconut oil in a wok or pot over medium-high heat.
· Add the curry paste and cook until bloomed (becomes aromatic and starts to bubble). Cook for about 1 to 2 two minutes.
· Add 8 oz. of coconut milk and cook until the oil separates from the curry. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes.
· Add the sugar, lime leaf powder, fish sauce, and chili (per your level of the desired spiciness; I used 1 tsp. of chili pepper).
· Cook the curry for about 5 minutes.
· Carefully place the fish fillets in the curry and spoon the curry over the fish.
· Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes to allow the curry to continue thickening.
· Plate and drizzle 2 tbsp. of coconut milk over the fish (optional) for plating.
Notes
· The can of coconut milk that I used contains guar gum which makes it harder for the oil to separate from the coconut milk. If I am using a can of coconut milk that is not 100% pure coconut milk, I use refined coconut oil to assist with the oil separation process when blooming the curry. Oil separation makes for a great curry.
· I have found that kaffir lime leaf powder works very well in curries. Using fresh or dried kaffir lime leaves also works well.
· Finally, I did not have any bell peppers handy. If I had bell peppers, I would also have julienned some bell pepper and added it to the curry right before plating to provide some “crunch” and contrasting color to the dish.
