Phyllo Cups with Vietnamese Seafood Curry
These are very hot little firecrackers from the orient. They can be used to add spice to almost any oriental dish. They dry very easily and can be stored and used this way for a long time.
Ingredients:
Phyllo cups:
3 sheets phyllo dough
3 Tbsp. melted butter
Vietnamese Seafood Curry:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 stalks of lemon grass, minced
2 fresh Thai chiles, minced
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Madras curry powder
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
7 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 pound sea scallops
1/2 pound littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/2 lime, juice only, or to taste
2 tsp. fish sauce, or to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh Thai basil
coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper
Instructions:
For the Phyllo Cups:
Preheat the oven to 375F and butter a muffin tin. Cut 3 sheets of phyllo into quarters. Butter 3 squares of the phyllo and layer each square on top of the others, turning each one slightly to make a star shape. Press the phyllo into a buttered muffin cup. Repeat with the remaining squares (3 more times). Bake the muffin tins for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
For the Vietnamese Seafood Curry:
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the lemon grass, chiles, ginger, garlic and curry and stir-fry over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the shrimp and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, until the shrimp become opaque. Remove the shrimp from the pan and stir in coconut milk. Bring to boil and boil for 10 minutes. Add the shrimp and scallops to the pan. Top with the clams and return to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and let simmer until the clams open and the seafood is cooked, about 2 minutes. Add the lime juice, fish sauce and basil. Season with salt and pepper and serve in the phyllo cups.
Recipe by Christine Cushing.