Mussels, Goan Style
Mussels, Goan Style
Phillip Carr
This is a version of a Goan dish. Mussels are farmed on the lagoons on the Mediterranean coast here in France, so we're glad to have an Indian way of serving them. We've substituted coconut milk for grated coconut, and we steam the mussels in advance, rather than cooking them in the sauce. The French often flame various spirits in their sauces; we've done that here. But we've also added a Southern French dimension: Pastis. So, this is, to the best of our knowledge, perhaps the first South of France/South of India recipe! We find the combination of cumin, coconut milk and Pastis delicious.
Pastis is a licorice/liquorice or aniseed flavoured liqueur, popular as an aperitif in France. It contains alcohol, licorice, seeds of the star anise, black and white pepper corns, cardamom, sage, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, sugar and water. Some brands may have as many as 50-60 different herbs. The word Pastis means "mixed" or "confused. It was developed in the South of France, after World War I. Some of the brand names are Pernod, Duval, Ricard, Berger and Casanis. Serves 2-4-6
Ingredients
2 kg. fresh mussels
2 tbsp. oil
A 1-inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (1 inch root fresh, when available)
One large onion, peeled and chopped finely
1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder (adjust to taste)
I tsp. of cumin seeds, ground (cumin powder)
400 ml. tin of coconut milk
1 tsp. salt, adjust to taste
Instructions
Wash the mussels and take off the beards. Rinse under cold tap again.
Put them in a tall, wide pot with a little water and steam them until they open. Drain them and put them aside. You can steam mussels in a vegetable steamer, if you have one.
To prepare the sauce, puree ginger, garlic and turmeric with a little water, in a blender. It should be smooth like a paste.
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot and sauté the onions until they become translucent.
Add two tablespoons of Pastis and flame (be careful: put the pot on the floor, because Pastis really flames up).*
Add the ginger and garlic paste, ground cumin and chilli powder.
Stir fry until oil separates, just like a curry sauce.
Add the coconut milk, and salt. Bring to a boil.
Add the mussels. As soon as the mussels have warmed up properly, serve, with Boiled Rice or Chapatties.
Notes
*If you do not have Pastis and do not want to buy a bottle just for this dish or can?t find it where you live, use brandy instead. If you do not want to flame it, or are scared to flame it, cook it on maximum flame for a minute or two.
Note from Mamta: I cooked this dish and tested it on my husband. His comment, "it is definitely better than good"!
