Spatch Cocks
A quick Spring catch-up. Since last we wrote there have been birthdays in Edinburgh Many Happy Returns Flora!
There were let-downs by booking.com.
There were sweet summer sails under the Forth Rail Bridge.
And there has been weird oriental cookery.
I have, over the last couple of months, made some n00b mistakes with bookings and orderings...
For some reason I found myself reading an old Nigel Slater article about Thai Food by David Thompson, as you do, and realised that I simply had to have the book.
HAD to.
So I logged straight on to amazon.co.uk and ordered it - delivered by ⭐Super Fast Ultra Express Delivery®⭐⭐.
Weird name right? Suspiciously self-promoting. Overblown. Foreign, even.
Well, did the book arrive in good condition and good time? Reader it did not. It did not arrive at all.
It was all pretty strange - the seller advertised having 4 books in stock and I got a tracking number which followed my package across the country until it suddenly vanished, never to be seen again. Meanwhile the seller continued advertising having those 4 books in stock.
Almost as if they had never shipped anything at all.
Now I did get my money back from Amazon quite painlessly, so nothing was lost by me, and it's not clear what if anything was gained by the seller, but from reading their reviews which perhaps I should have done beforehand? it's something they do on a regular basis. So what is their story?
Anyhow, I ordered a copy of the book from eBay for a significant saving, coming out ahead in the end.
The book's great, by the way, though you really need to already live in Thailand, or in a really well-stocked Thai supermarket to take full advantage of it.
And then I was looking to book accommodation in Edinburgh for my friend Flora's birthday bash. So I turned to a booking.com which I've used to find places all across Japan with never an issue. Even with that robot hotel!
It turns out Edinburgh is really expensive to visit if you don't have someone's house to stay in because it's full of relatives, but booking.com had a nice room on offer in Leith at a manageable price with a letting agent called Luxury En-Suite Elegant Design Waterfront Leith.
Weird name, right? Seems grandiose? Bombastic? Bit foreign?
Well, when I turned up at the agreed book-in time there was nothing there. Or nothing there any longer. It was just an apartment block, with no reception, no signage, and certainly no sign of Luxury En-Suite Elegant Design Waterfront Leith. Surprisingly, they did answer the phone number I'd been given and told me that they had cancelled all their bookings months ago and I should have been refunded already, but that wasn't really much help to me that night.
In the end I was able to sleep on the yacht that a bunch of us were going sailing aboard under the Forth bridges the following day Thanks John! So it all worked out in the end, but it made for a late, scruffy, suitcase-laden party entrance on my part 🙁
As convenient and painless as working with booking.com is when it works smoothly, it's a nightmare when something goes wrong.
It is completely impossible to get hold of a human being at all - their entire contact, help and complaints system is based on conversing online with bots and that's it. No other options.
Consequently it took me weeks of constant pestering to get my refund from them, to the point where I was genuinely girding myself for legal activity.
Girding!
I'm sure there are lessons somewhere in all of that, but I've no idea what they might be 😂
Anyhoo, returning to our catch-up on spring in Bradford; thanks to my Cookery Classes at Kirklees College back in March I ended up with a house full of spatchcocked chicken and spatchcocked chicken carcasses.
Oh what to do?
Some kind of chicken soup seemed to fit the bill.
Since the Wild Garlic was unusually early this year, I had to rush to pick their leaves before they turned to fibrous mattress material. These can be added to Greek avgolemono chicken soup to great effect.
As we now enjoy the nicest, sunniest, May Day in memory - I'm wondering if those wild garlic plants weren't peculiarly well-informed? I suspect a vegetable conspiracy.
Read on for Weird Oriental Cookery...
For some reason I found myself reading an old Nigel Slater article about Thai Food by David Thompson, as you do, and realised that I simply had to have the book.
HAD to.
So I logged straight on to amazon.co.uk and ordered it - delivered by ⭐Super Fast Ultra Express Delivery®⭐⭐.
Weird name right? Suspiciously self-promoting. Overblown. Foreign, even.
Well, did the book arrive in good condition and good time? Reader it did not. It did not arrive at all.
It was all pretty strange - the seller advertised having 4 books in stock and I got a tracking number which followed my package across the country until it suddenly vanished, never to be seen again. Meanwhile the seller continued advertising having those 4 books in stock.
Almost as if they had never shipped anything at all.
Now I did get my money back from Amazon quite painlessly, so nothing was lost by me, and it's not clear what if anything was gained by the seller, but from reading their reviews which perhaps I should have done beforehand? it's something they do on a regular basis. So what is their story?
Anyhow, I ordered a copy of the book from eBay for a significant saving, coming out ahead in the end.
The book's great, by the way, though you really need to already live in Thailand, or in a really well-stocked Thai supermarket to take full advantage of it.
And then I was looking to book accommodation in Edinburgh for my friend Flora's birthday bash. So I turned to a booking.com which I've used to find places all across Japan with never an issue. Even with that robot hotel!
It turns out Edinburgh is really expensive to visit if you don't have someone's house to stay in because it's full of relatives, but booking.com had a nice room on offer in Leith at a manageable price with a letting agent called Luxury En-Suite Elegant Design Waterfront Leith.
Weird name, right? Seems grandiose? Bombastic? Bit foreign?
Well, when I turned up at the agreed book-in time there was nothing there. Or nothing there any longer. It was just an apartment block, with no reception, no signage, and certainly no sign of Luxury En-Suite Elegant Design Waterfront Leith. Surprisingly, they did answer the phone number I'd been given and told me that they had cancelled all their bookings months ago and I should have been refunded already, but that wasn't really much help to me that night.
In the end I was able to sleep on the yacht that a bunch of us were going sailing aboard under the Forth bridges the following day Thanks John! So it all worked out in the end, but it made for a late, scruffy, suitcase-laden party entrance on my part 🙁
As convenient and painless as working with booking.com is when it works smoothly, it's a nightmare when something goes wrong.
It is completely impossible to get hold of a human being at all - their entire contact, help and complaints system is based on conversing online with bots and that's it. No other options.
Consequently it took me weeks of constant pestering to get my refund from them, to the point where I was genuinely girding myself for legal activity.
Girding!
I'm sure there are lessons somewhere in all of that, but I've no idea what they might be 😂
Anyhoo, returning to our catch-up on spring in Bradford; thanks to my Cookery Classes at Kirklees College back in March I ended up with a house full of spatchcocked chicken and spatchcocked chicken carcasses.
Oh what to do?
Some kind of chicken soup seemed to fit the bill.
Since the Wild Garlic was unusually early this year, I had to rush to pick their leaves before they turned to fibrous mattress material. These can be added to Greek avgolemono chicken soup to great effect.
As we now enjoy the nicest, sunniest, May Day in memory - I'm wondering if those wild garlic plants weren't peculiarly well-informed? I suspect a vegetable conspiracy.
Read on for Weird Oriental Cookery...
Avgolemono Soup
soup fowl
Not only can you swirl wild garlic leaves through the soup, but I also found a plant called Garlic Mustard that has quite pretty edible flowers you can use to decorate it.
Garlic Mustard leaves themselves are a bit bitter and not particularly attractive, though.
Garlic Mustard leaves themselves are a bit bitter and not particularly attractive, though.
Serves One
Ingredients
- 1 egg, separated
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- ¼ cup rice
- handful cooked chicken, shredded
- 1 small carrot cut into slivers
- 2" leek, thinly sliced
- a sprig or two of fresh oregano or thyme, leaves stripped
- salt & white pepper
- olive oil
- wild garlic leaves, roughly sliced optional
Bring the stock to a simmer and add the rice.
Cook for 10 minutes, then add the carrots.
Cook for 5 minutes and add the leeks, lemon zest and chopped oregano or thyme.
Cook for 5 minutes and add the chicken. Return to a simmer.
Meanwhile separate the eggs and whisk the whites to soft peaks. Mix some of the lemon juice into the egg yolk. Beat the whites into the yolk. Slowly pour in the soup liquid (holding back the solids) while whisking vigorously to temper the eggs.
Return the egg mix to the pan you can add wild garlic leaves here and gently warm everything up until the soup thickens slightly, but do not boil or the soup will curdle.
Season and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and more lemon juice to taste.
Cook for 10 minutes, then add the carrots.
Cook for 5 minutes and add the leeks, lemon zest and chopped oregano or thyme.
Cook for 5 minutes and add the chicken. Return to a simmer.
Meanwhile separate the eggs and whisk the whites to soft peaks. Mix some of the lemon juice into the egg yolk. Beat the whites into the yolk. Slowly pour in the soup liquid (holding back the solids) while whisking vigorously to temper the eggs.
Return the egg mix to the pan you can add wild garlic leaves here and gently warm everything up until the soup thickens slightly, but do not boil or the soup will curdle.
Season and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and more lemon juice to taste.
Slow Mushrooms
ingredient veg
Like normal mushrooms, but with Autism.
Ingredients
- mixed mushrooms, thickly sliced
- garlic, thinly sliced
- salt & pepper
- toasted sesame oil
- butter
- soy sauce
Thickly slice the mushrooms I used a mixture of chestnut and shiitake, put in an oven-proof dish along with thin slices of garlic.
Season with a little (because of the soy) salt and a generous amount of pepper, drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce.
Dot with butter optionally.
Cover and bake slowly at Gas Mark 2 for a couple of hours until they're tender, but not shrivelled to nothing.
Season with a little (because of the soy) salt and a generous amount of pepper, drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce.
Dot with butter optionally.
Cover and bake slowly at Gas Mark 2 for a couple of hours until they're tender, but not shrivelled to nothing.
You wouldn't want to tuck into a bowl of them, but they make excellent ingredients for further dishes.
Honey Miso Glazed Aubergines
veg vegan side
Nami's original recipe uses sugar instead of honey - I don't imagine it makes all that much difference,
though possibly the sugar has less of a tendency to burn under the grill.
Serves 3
Ingredients
For the Sweet Miso Glaze:- 3 Tbsp miso
- 1 Tbsp honey, or sugar
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- ½ Tbsp sake (or more, if your miso is chunky; you can use water)
For the Aubergine:- 3 Japanese eggplants (1.2 lb, 518 g)
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
For the Garnish (optional):- 1-2 green onions
- 5 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba)
- 2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds
Gather all the ingredients.
Set the rack in the center of the oven about 7 inches (18 cm) away from the heating element.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). For convection, reduce the temperature by 25°F (15°C).
To Make the Sweet Miso Glaze:
Combine 3 Tbsp miso and 1 Tbsp sugar in a small bowl. Mix well to dissolve the sugar.
Add 1 Tbsp mirin and ½ Tbsp sake and stir. If needed, you can add a bit more sake until you reach your preferred consistency, as some miso is chunkier than others.
Mix well and set aside.
To Prepare the Eggplants:
Cut off the stem and calyx of 3 Japanese eggplants. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise from stem to tip, creating boat-like halves. If your eggplants are long, you can cut them in half crosswise so they're shorter.
With the knife, score the cut surface of eggplant diagonally about ⅛ inch (3 mm) deep and apart. Work in one direction first and then the other, creating a crisscross pattern on the flesh.
Tip: In addition to improving the presentation, this crisscross scoring helps the eggplants cook faster and absorb more flavor.
Soak them in water for 10 minutes to remove the astringency. Blot them with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the cut surface with 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil. Turn them over so they are cut side down on the baking sheet.
To Bake:
Bake the eggplants at 425°F (220°C) for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut 1 green onion/scallion into thin rounds. Roll up 5 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) and cut them into julienned strips.
After 15 minutes, the eggplant flesh should be soft and the skin slightly shriveled. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
Now, preheat the broiler. Keep the rack in the same center position, roughly 7 inches (18 cm) away from the heating element.
To Broil:
Carefully turn the eggplants cut side up and brush the flesh with a layer of sweet miso glaze. Coat the surface completely. You don't need to use all the glaze; one batch makes enough for 3 large or 5 medium eggplants.
Tip: You can freeze any leftover glaze to use later or enjoy it as a dip for veggies.
Place the eggplants under the broiler until the glaze begins to bubble and caramelize, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the broiler.
Tip: The cooking time varies based on how far away you place the food from the heating element.
To Serve:
Sprinkle the baked eggplants with 2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds, sliced green onions, and julienned shiso leaves.
I [Nami] serve a dab of yuzu kosho (optional) on a maple leaf for a spicy kick. Serve immediately.
Set the rack in the center of the oven about 7 inches (18 cm) away from the heating element.
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). For convection, reduce the temperature by 25°F (15°C).
To Make the Sweet Miso Glaze:
Combine 3 Tbsp miso and 1 Tbsp sugar in a small bowl. Mix well to dissolve the sugar.
Add 1 Tbsp mirin and ½ Tbsp sake and stir. If needed, you can add a bit more sake until you reach your preferred consistency, as some miso is chunkier than others.
Mix well and set aside.
To Prepare the Eggplants:
Cut off the stem and calyx of 3 Japanese eggplants. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise from stem to tip, creating boat-like halves. If your eggplants are long, you can cut them in half crosswise so they're shorter.
With the knife, score the cut surface of eggplant diagonally about ⅛ inch (3 mm) deep and apart. Work in one direction first and then the other, creating a crisscross pattern on the flesh.
Tip: In addition to improving the presentation, this crisscross scoring helps the eggplants cook faster and absorb more flavor.
Soak them in water for 10 minutes to remove the astringency. Blot them with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush the cut surface with 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil. Turn them over so they are cut side down on the baking sheet.
To Bake:
Bake the eggplants at 425°F (220°C) for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut 1 green onion/scallion into thin rounds. Roll up 5 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) and cut them into julienned strips.
After 15 minutes, the eggplant flesh should be soft and the skin slightly shriveled. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
Now, preheat the broiler. Keep the rack in the same center position, roughly 7 inches (18 cm) away from the heating element.
To Broil:
Carefully turn the eggplants cut side up and brush the flesh with a layer of sweet miso glaze. Coat the surface completely. You don't need to use all the glaze; one batch makes enough for 3 large or 5 medium eggplants.
Tip: You can freeze any leftover glaze to use later or enjoy it as a dip for veggies.
Place the eggplants under the broiler until the glaze begins to bubble and caramelize, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the broiler.
Tip: The cooking time varies based on how far away you place the food from the heating element.
To Serve:
Sprinkle the baked eggplants with 2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds, sliced green onions, and julienned shiso leaves.
I [Nami] serve a dab of yuzu kosho (optional) on a maple leaf for a spicy kick. Serve immediately.
Quite a complicated recipe for fairly uninspiring results.
It's edible enough, and you can even batter and deep-fry it, but it's not really all that exciting. But then it is vegan 😉
It's edible enough, and you can even batter and deep-fry it, but it's not really all that exciting. But then it is vegan 😉
Grilled Miso Cod
main fish
New York restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa has recently popularised Saikyoyaki - a traditional Japanese method for preparing fish which involves marinating it in white miso paste,
and Kasuzuke - a technique of pickling ingredients in the sedimentary lees produced from brewing sake.
For his signature dish he marinates Black Cod, which is not a variety of actual cod but a very buttery sablefish, in miso, sake and mirin for several days before grilling it.
I followed a slightly simplified version by Kenji López-Alt, and did actually use cod, though Chilean Sea Bass, Coley or Hake are recommended as Black Cod substitutes, since real cod is considered too lean.
Kenji adds soy sauce and oil, and reduces the marinating time.
For his signature dish he marinates Black Cod, which is not a variety of actual cod but a very buttery sablefish, in miso, sake and mirin for several days before grilling it.
I followed a slightly simplified version by Kenji López-Alt, and did actually use cod, though Chilean Sea Bass, Coley or Hake are recommended as Black Cod substitutes, since real cod is considered too lean.
Kenji adds soy sauce and oil, and reduces the marinating time.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- ¼ cup red or white miso paste
- ¼ cup sake
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 black cod fillets, 5 to 6 ounces each
Whisk together miso, sake, mirin, soy sauce, oil, and sugar. Rub mixture over every surface of fish fillets. Transfer to a plastic freezer bag or sealable container.
Proceed immediately to next step, or for best results, marinate for about 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
Broil until top surface is well charred and a thin skewer inserted into black cod shows no resistance at all when piercing through layers of flesh, about 10 minutes.
If any areas of fish threaten to burn, shield with small pieces of aluminum foil.
Proceed immediately to next step, or for best results, marinate for about 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
I actually used up some olive oil vinaigrette instead of the vegetable oil, and marinated overnight.
Adjust broiler rack to 4 inches from heat source and preheat broiler or toaster oven broiler to high.
Broiler is American for grill 🙂.
Cover a small broiler pan with aluminum foil. Place black cod fillets skin side down on pan.Broil until top surface is well charred and a thin skewer inserted into black cod shows no resistance at all when piercing through layers of flesh, about 10 minutes.
If any areas of fish threaten to burn, shield with small pieces of aluminum foil.
I turned my fish over, though perhaps I should not have?
It seems that Chef Nobu slices his fillets on a bias, skin on, and grills both sides of them under a moderate salamander.
But you can achieve much the same effect in a very hot oven with the fillets skin-side up.
When the fish is cooked, carefully remove any pin bones with a pair of tweezers (there should be no resistance), and serve immediately.
It seems that Chef Nobu slices his fillets on a bias, skin on, and grills both sides of them under a moderate salamander.
But you can achieve much the same effect in a very hot oven with the fillets skin-side up.
It's tasty, but a little dry - so I can see why you might prefer to use a richer fish.
Mangosteens and Prawn Thai Curry
fish thai curry main
My local (ish) greengrocer often stocks a couple of exotic fruit or vegetables for the lols, and today they had mangosteens and rambutans.
It just so happens that I'd recently acquired a copy of Michelin chef David Thompson's Thai Food, and his recipe for Mangosteen and Mussels curry had caught my eye whilst I was flicking through.
So when I saw the mangosteens I figured I'd just pick some mussels from the Local Fucking Supermarket™ and wing the rest of the ingredients, since I couldn't remember anything more about the recipe.
Well absolutely typically, the Fucking Supermarket immediately decided to stop stocking mussels and they weren't available anywhere else, so I bought 300g prawns instead and fumbled this dish together.
Fortunately I had some frozen kaffir lime leaves, and coconut milk already in stock. Pity I'd used up all my galangal though.
Still, the result was not half bad. I think I might throw in the rambutan too when I reheat it. 3 mangosteens didn't quite seem like enough.
It just so happens that I'd recently acquired a copy of Michelin chef David Thompson's Thai Food, and his recipe for Mangosteen and Mussels curry had caught my eye whilst I was flicking through.
So when I saw the mangosteens I figured I'd just pick some mussels from the Local Fucking Supermarket™ and wing the rest of the ingredients, since I couldn't remember anything more about the recipe.
Well absolutely typically, the Fucking Supermarket immediately decided to stop stocking mussels and they weren't available anywhere else, so I bought 300g prawns instead and fumbled this dish together.
Fortunately I had some frozen kaffir lime leaves, and coconut milk already in stock. Pity I'd used up all my galangal though.
Still, the result was not half bad. I think I might throw in the rambutan too when I reheat it. 3 mangosteens didn't quite seem like enough.
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
- 1½ cups coconut cream I used a 250ml carton of coconut cream (78% coconut!)
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamarind water
- ½ cup coconut milk I just diluted some of my coconut cream with water
- 3 mangosteens, flesh removed from husk
- 300g (9oz) mussels or clams or prawns 😂
- 3 kaffir lime leaves, torn
- a few picked 'betel' leaves - optional
For the Paste:- 8 dried long red chillies, deseeded, soaked and drained
- large pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped galangal I had none
- 4 tablespoons of lemongrass I used two stalks
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped kaffir lime zest I zested two regular small limes
- 1 teaspoon scraped and chopped coriander root Not the same, but I threw in a handful of coriander stalks.
- 3 tablespoons chopped red shallot
- 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (gapi) - optional good, because I didn't have any
- 4 pla salit or 4 pla grop (crisp fish) or flesh of ½ hot-smoked trout I didn't have the chance to get any smoked trout but I did throw in an anchovy
First make the paste.
If using pla salit or pla grop (nope), lightly grill the fish, fillet, skin and grind before adding to the paste.
Crack the coconut cream over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of the paste about half the paste you made and fry until the fish is fragrant.
Season with palm sugar, fish sauce - not too much because of the saltiness of the seafood - and then the tamarind water.
(Do not cook the paste for more than a minute or so after adding the tamarind or it will burn.)
Moisten with coconut milk, then add mangosteens and mussels or clams or prawns.
Simmer until the molluscs open (discard any that remain stubbornly closed).
Finish with lime leaves and 'betel' leaves. Check seasoning - it may need more fish sauce.
Accompany with:
I puréed mine in a blender with enough water to get things going.
I also ground some white peppercorns and coriander seeds and added those too.
I also ground some white peppercorns and coriander seeds and added those too.
If using pla salit or pla grop (nope), lightly grill the fish, fillet, skin and grind before adding to the paste.
Crack the coconut cream over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of the paste about half the paste you made and fry until the fish is fragrant.
Season with palm sugar, fish sauce - not too much because of the saltiness of the seafood - and then the tamarind water.
(Do not cook the paste for more than a minute or so after adding the tamarind or it will burn.)
Moisten with coconut milk, then add mangosteens and mussels or clams or prawns.
Simmer until the molluscs open (discard any that remain stubbornly closed).
Finish with lime leaves and 'betel' leaves. Check seasoning - it may need more fish sauce.
Accompany with:
- pla grop (crisp fish)
- grilled pork
- And rice, of course. Though David Thompson rarely mentions this fact.
The accompaniments seem like an odd choice, but then I toasted some breadcrumbs (my latest Cookery Course generates excess bread products) with cumin seeds,
then a little yoghurt, added minced cucumber and coriander leaves, and served my curry over that!
So who's weird now??
So who's weird now??
Weird Spanish & Thai Cod and Chorizo Stew
fish meat main
Cod loin is the cut from the fattest part of the upper side of the boneless cod fillet, avoiding the belly and the narrowing tail.
I bought some cod loin, chickpeas and chorizo anticipating making a Spanish-style stew, but then I got sidetracked with mangosteens and prawns.
So I decided to combine the two.
The jury is still out on the verdict.
I bought some cod loin, chickpeas and chorizo anticipating making a Spanish-style stew, but then I got sidetracked with mangosteens and prawns.
So I decided to combine the two.
The jury is still out on the verdict.
Serves 2
Ingredients
- ½ tin chopped tomatoes
- 250ml carton coconut cream
- 3-4 tablespoons Thai red (ish) curry paste
- ½ Spanish chorizo
- 250g cod loin fillets in large pieces
- 1 can chickpeas or butter beans
- 1 red pepper, charred
- a few handfuls of spinach leaves
To Serve:- juice of ½ lime
- drizzle of fish sauce
Peel the chorizo and chop into bite-sized pieces.
Fry over moderate heat in a frying pan, then scoop out the pieces into a bowl and add a few tablespoons of coconut cream.
Crack the coconut cream so the oil separates.
So now take the paste you made for the previous Thai curry, and fry it in the pan until the oil separates and the harshness cooks off.
Add the pieces of cod and fry one side in the paste, then lift out and reserve.
Add the tinned tomatoes and cook until they thicken and reduce.
Add the rest of the coconut cream, the tin of chickpeas with their water and bring to a simmer.
Return the fish and the chorizo and add the spinach leaves. Cover and bring back to the boil.
Serve drizzled with lime juice and fish sauce.
Fry over moderate heat in a frying pan, then scoop out the pieces into a bowl and add a few tablespoons of coconut cream.
Crack the coconut cream so the oil separates.
So now take the paste you made for the previous Thai curry, and fry it in the pan until the oil separates and the harshness cooks off.
Add the pieces of cod and fry one side in the paste, then lift out and reserve.
Add the tinned tomatoes and cook until they thicken and reduce.
Add the rest of the coconut cream, the tin of chickpeas with their water and bring to a simmer.
If you don't forget you can core and char a red pepper over a flame or under the grill, peel it and add that too!
Return the fish and the chorizo and add the spinach leaves. Cover and bring back to the boil.
Serve drizzled with lime juice and fish sauce.
Although fresh tomatoes seem to be fine, I'm still not really sure about the mixing of stewed or tinned tomatoes and coconut milk - it's a bit strange.
But it is edible. Wooo!
But it is edible. Wooo!
To make the servings look pretty, you can strain the solids out of the soup when you add it to the eggs, gently reheat the broth, eggs and wild garlic, pour into the bowls, then pile the strained chunks into the centre. Top with a few small oregano leaves.