Exotic Delight

Passport & Plate - Homok Kluay Talay

Thailand | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 1 photos

Ingredients
1 sea bass fillet (no skin, about 300 gram)
8 cooked and peeled tiger shrimps
8 cooked mussels
100 gram of cooked squid
1 egg
1 banana
6 kaffir lime leaves (cut julienne)
1 red pepper (cut julienne)
150 ml coconutmilk (100ml in homok, 50ml on top)
1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon palm sugar
1/2 tablespoon red curry
2 pinches of corn flower

 

How to prepare this recipe
Combine red curry with half of sea bass fillet in mortar and grind with pestle till mixed together (if mortar and pestle not available can use blender, but mortar preferable because of taste and aroma).

Take the mixture out and combine in bowl with egg, 100ml of coconut milk, palm sugar, fish sauce, and half of kaffir lime leafs. Mix together.

Cut banana in little pieces and divide over 4 banana leaf cups (or custard cups) of about 6 oz. (If using banana leaf cups, use banana leaf circle cut-outs of approximately 20cm.)

Add mixture to cups and place seafood together on top.

Place on steamer basket and steam for about ten minutes, until mixture doesn’t stick to toothpick when stuck in.

Take remaining coconut milk and boil in pan with 1 tablespoon of water together with 2 pinches of corn flower and keep stirring until it’s thick and creamy.

Garnish cups by pouring coconut milk on top, followed by putting remaining kaffir lime leafs, and finish by putting 2 strips of red pepper on every cup.

 

The story behind this recipe
After visiting Thailand several times and currently residing there, I have explored the Thai cuisine to the fullest. Making it one of my favorite cuisines in the world, I would love to share one of my favorite dishes of this wonderful cuisine, which is called Homok Kluay Talay (Homok Banana Seafood).
I came across this recipe when I joined one of my Thai friends to visit her family in her home town, which was in Kamphaeng Phet province, Thailand. Her mother, being a notoriously good cook in the region, had prepared this dish for us to enjoy, and I enjoyed it so much that I insisted on getting the recipe. Although with a bit of reluctance to handing out a family recipe, (after long times of begging) I fortunately received it. Now that I am able to enjoy this dish by myself, I would love to share it with the rest of the world.
Homok comes in many different variations depending on person and region. The element that makes this type of Homok unique in comparison with other variants, is that it is consisting of banana. The area of Kamphaeng Phet is famous in Thailand for growing bananas and they even have a yearly banana festival there. The taste of banana blends in perfectly well with the rest of the ingredients, making this recipe my personal favorite. It also helps that Thailand is rich of delicious, fresh seafood!
Homok in general is a dish which is unique in comparison to other (Thai) curries. The reason being it is steamed, and therefore making it come across as a soufflé, custard or mousse. The combination of fresh seafood, spices and spiciness, together with the sweetness of banana and coconut, make this dish nothing less than an exotic delight. Furthermore, not only being a treat for the stomach, it is also a treat for the eye!