Ingredients

  • 2 bunches cilantro, leaves and tender stems, coarsely chopped, about 2 cups
  • 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thickly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 or 2 serrano chiles, split lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup grated unsweetened coconut, fresh, dried or frozen
  • 1 teaspoon Vietnamese fish sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 1 4-inch stick fresh lemon grass, sliced 1/4-inch thick
  • 4 pounds mussels
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
  • 3 or 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • Lime wedges

Method

  • To make a green curry paste, put cilantro, ginger, garlic, chiles, coconut, fish sauce, salt, sugar and lemon grass in a blender or food processor.
  • Blend to a coarse paste, adding a little ice water if necessary.
  • Rinse the mussels under cold water and remove the beards.
  • Discard any mussels with broken shells, as well as any that are not tightly closed.
  • Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over a medium-high flame.
  • Add the mussels and stir well to coat.
  • Raise the heat to high, add the broth or water, and put on the lid.
  • Cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add 1/2 cup of the green curry paste, stir well, and continue cooking for 4 to 5 minutes, until all of the mussels have opened.
  • Sprinkle with the scallions.
  • Bring the pot to the table and serve in wide soup bowls, ladling some of the broth over the mussels, along with a squeeze of lime juice.
  • Pass the remaining green curry paste separately, if desired.