Recipe No 485 curry Original 2013 Adapted 2014

Haw mok pla

A Thai dish of fish in red curry sauce steamed in banana leaf. The mother-in-law should be impressed.

Adapted from Marion’s Thailand

Difficulty
moderate
Yield
4 serves • 1000 g
Specialist ingredients
banana leaves
Metric Imperial

Processes

  • Banana leaves; wiped with a damp cloth, pat dry and cut into 8 x 20 cm / 7⅞" rounds
    4
  • Toothpicks, broken in half to make little skewers
    8
  1. 01
    To assemble cups, stack 2 rounds together. Make a small pleat in the round and secure the pleat with a skewer. Make 3 more pleats to form a square cup. Repeat to make 4 cups. Set aside.

  1. 02
    Whisk to combine.

  • Firm white fish, such as snapper or ling (1 fillet)
    400 g
  1. 03
    Add to curry paste mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir vigorously until thickened, about . Set aside.

  • Coconut milk (5 tbsp + 1 tsp)
    80 g
  • Rice flour (1 tsp)
    3 g
  • Salt (⅛ tsp)
    0.8 g
  1. 04
    Combine in a small saucepan over low heat and whisk to thicken, about . Remove from heat and set aside.

  • Cabbage, thinly sliced (1½ cup)
    100 g
  1. 05
    Divide evenly in the base of each banana leaf cup .
  2. 06
    Add an equal amount of fish mixture to each cup.
  3. 07
    Spoon an equal amount of coconut milk mixture into each cup.
  4. 08
    Place cups in a steamer and cover. Cook until the fish is completely opaque, about .

  • Basil, thai, leaves only, sliced (8 leaves)
    6 g
  • Coriander, fresh, leaves only (¼ cup)
    4 g
  • Kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced
  • Chilli, red, long; deseeded and thinly sliced (2 medium)
    6 g
  1. 09
    Garnish.

Notes

Buy fresh or preserved banana leaves at Thai and Asian grocers.

Fresh banana leaves can be stiff. If leaves crack when pleated, the leaves need to be softened. To soften, briefly wave sections of the leaves over the flame of a gas burner or heat quickly on a barbecue. Banana leaves preserved in vacuum-sealed packs will already be soft. If you can’t find banana leaves, use small ramekins to hold the fish mixture instead.

Making ahead

Prepare the red curry paste.

Fold the banana leaves to shape.

Food pairings

Serve with steamed rice.

Categorisation

Category
curry
Meal
mains
Cuisine
thai
Diet
pescatarian
Tags
banana leaves curry fish ho mok hor mok steamed