Thai cuisine · Fish & Seafood

Pad Cha Talay

Seafood stir-fried spicy in the wok with curry paste, green peppercorns, krachai and basil – entirely without coconut milk.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 600 g mixed seafood (shrimp, squid rings, mussels)
• 2 tbsp red curry paste
• 3 sprigs fresh green peppercorns (or 1 tsp pickled green peppercorns)
• 50 g krachai (fingerroot, or ginger)
• 5 Thai chilies
• 4 garlic cloves
• 6 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp palm sugar
• 1 handful Thai basil
• 3 tbsp oil

Instructions

1. Drain the seafood and pat very dry – wet seafood will boil in the wok instead of frying.
2. Cut the krachai into fine matchsticks, coarsely pound the garlic and Thai chilies in a mortar, tear the kaffir lime leaves by hand.
3. Heat the oil in the wok until just below smoking point and stir-fry the curry paste, garlic and chilies for 1 min. until everything smells intensely fragrant.
4. Add the seafood and toss over high heat for 2–3 min., only turning it, not crushing it.
5. Stir in the krachai, green peppercorns, lime leaves, fish sauce and palm sugar and fry for another 2 min. until the seafood is just opaque.
6. Fold in the Thai basil until it wilts, and serve immediately while the wok is still steaming.