Mussels in Pineapple Curry

Ingredients

500ml Kingfisher Coconut Milk
300g Kingfisher Pineapple Pieces (drained)
120ml coconut cream
2-2½ tablespoons palm sugar (to taste)
2½ tablespoons fish sauce
2-2½ tablespoon tamarind water
300g mussels, scrubbed and debearded
3 kaffir lime leaves, torn
1 long red or green chilli, deseeded if preferred and thinly sliced.

Curry Paste:
10 large dried chillies, soaked and chopped
3 heaped tablespoons red bird’s eye chillies
Pinch of salt
2½ tablespoons chopped galangal
5 tablespoons chopped lemongrass
2 teaspoons finely chopped lime zest
1 tablespoon chopped coriander root
5 tablespoons chopped garlic
2½ tablespoons chopped red shallots
1 rounded tablespoon Thai shrimp paste

Directions

1. Make the curry paste by pounding the fresh ingredients in a mortar with a pestle, adding them one at a time and starting with the hardest, driest and working through to the softest and wettest. You can also use a blender by putting all of the ingredients in at the same time to blend, adding a little water to facilitate the blending (3-4 minutes of blending should be sufficient).
2. Heat the coconut cream over a moderate heat, add 4 tablespoons of the curry paste and fry until it is fragrant (this can take up to 10 minutes).
3. Season with palm sugar and fish sauce and then the tamarind water. Do not fry the paste for more than a minute or so after adding the tamarind water, otherwise it will develop a scorched taste.
4. Moisten with the Kingfisher Coconut Milk, then add the Kingfisher Pineapple Pieces and the mussels. Simmer until the shells have opened stirring regularly (discard any mussels that remain closed).
5. Finish with the lime leaves and chilli. Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly and ensure food is piping hot before serving.