Mussels with dry coconut
This coastal dish from the South-western state of Maharashtra is quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-4 green chillies, whole
thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and pounded into a paste in a pestle and mortar
4 garlic cloves, peeled and pounded into a paste in a pestle and mortar
salt, to taste
½tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp garam masala
3 tomatoes, chopped into large cubes
1kg/2¼lb mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
60g/2oz desiccated coconut
handful fresh coriander leaves and stalks, chopped
Preparation method
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Heat the vegetable oil in a medium non-stick pan and fry the onion until golden brown.
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Add the chillies, ginger and garlic pastes, salt, turmeric, garam masala and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes have softened and start to break down.
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Meanwhile, cook the mussels in a large pot of boiling water for about three minutes, until they have opened. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve the water.
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Add the coconut, coriander and a splash of the cooking water to the spices and tomatoes and stir. The spice mixture should be thick enough to coat the mussels and enter the shells.
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Remove some of the mussels from their shells and leave others in their shells, for a dramatic and appetising effect. Add the mussels to the spice mixture and stir thoroughly. Serve with basmati rice.
