Choo Chee is a flavored classical red curry. As I was born as the youngest child of my mother who is a traditional Southern Chef. I have a deeply beautiful memory about this curry when I was young. “Nom” My mom always cooks this dish during the rainy season. Because the heat from the curry pastes and the good fat from coconut milk warm up the body. Mom serves us this curry with steamed rice and pork spare rib soup. Six of us, including my parents, my older brother and my older sisters, have such a delicious curry and mix our last bite of rice on top of the curry sauce.
I act as a chef assistant in my mom’s kitchen. My main responsibilities were helping pounding curry paste sine I was too little to prepare my own curry paste. As well as picking the kaffir lime leaves from the with one hand holding an umbrella.
The word “Choo Chee” came from the sound of the curry sauce that pouring on top of the pan-fried fillet fish. You will understand more once you start cooking this dish.
Please feel free to review my recipe below. I hope you will like my childhood curry on rainy days.
RECIPE: Choo Chee Pla –Stir fried red curry with fish (Southern style) For single serve:
Ingredients:
- 150g fillet fish ( You may use; King Mackerel, Barracuda fish, Seabass or any type of fish that you like.
- 2 tablespoons Southern red curry (Depends on your spicy level. You can add more or less)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce ( I would recommend Mega Chef Brand if you can find one)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon palm sugar or refined sugar
- 1/4 Red Spur Chili finely sliced
- (julienne) for garnishing
- 2 leaves kaffir lime, very finely sliced
- 150 ml coconut milk
Ingredients for red curry paste
- 6 seeds of black pepper
- 1 Dried red Spur Chili
- 1 stalk lemongrass (thick bottom, third only)
- 1 shallot
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 small slice of kaffir lime skin
- 1 small slice of turmeric
Preparation of the curry paste:
Finely chop the ingredients for the curry paste and put in the blender with a little bit of coconut cream or water.
Preparation
Heat up the coconut cream, set the heat to medium flame, wait until the coconut cream separates the fat and add curry paste. Keep cooking for 3 minutes. Add sugar, fish sauce and salt, mix well. Add the fresh fish. Stir on and off until the fish is cooked. You can also pan-fried fish before cooking it into a curry sauce. Add half of the chilli and kaffir lime leaves. Serve on a plate and garnish with kaffir lime leaves and red spur chilli.
