We tried a dish tonight inspired by Thai flavours and were pleasantly surprised with the outcome.  It was dead simple to make and turned out to be a heartening meal especially on a wet, cold and rainy night as tonight.

What do I need to make it?

• 1 large fillet of cod cut in half
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 1 red chillli chopped
• 3 kafir lime leaves (optional)
• 1 stick of lemon grass bruised
• 1 inch piece of galangal sliced thinly (use a mandolin slicer)
• 1/2 carrot sliced thinly (as above)
• 2 baby corns sliced thinly (as above)
• 2 medium sized mushrooms sliced
• 400ml tinned coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Small handful of fresh coriander to garnish
• Salt to taste

For the sambal

• 1 cup of shredded coconut roasted till light brown
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 small shallot (we used small Indian onions)
• 1 red chilli
• 1/2 tsp palm sugar
• Salt to taste

Pound all the ingredients (except the coconut) to a paste in a pestle and mortar.   Once the roasted coconut has cooled, mix it with the paste and it is ready to serve.

How much will I make?

2 large bowls of soup

How do I make it?

Heat a pan, add coconut oil followed by the sliced onions and cook for a couple of minutes.   Pour in the coconut milk and 400 ml of water.  Add the kafir lime leaves, galangal, red chilli, lemon grass, white pepper and stock cube and bring to a gentle boil,  Reduce the heat to low and poach the cod fillets till they cook through.   Remove the fillets and add the vegetables to the stock – increase heat and cook for five minutes.   To assemble the dish, place the cod fillets in the middle of the bowl and pour stock with vegetables over it.   Garnish with a tablespoon of the sambal and some fresh coriander.  Enjoy.