Thai Red Lobster Curry With Chinese Black Rice

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs fresh lobster meat
• 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 2 (350 g) cans coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 200 g shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 5-6 garlic cloves, peeled & left whole
• 1 red pepper, deseeded & diced
• 10 baby carrots, blanched
• 2 large broccoli florets, halved & blanched
• 200 g frozen peas, blanched
• 1/2 cup chinese black rice
• butter
• freshly ground sea salt
• freshly ground mixed peppercorn
• olive oil
• 1 lobster head, to garnish
• shredded Thai basil, to garnish

Directions

1. 1

   Please bear-in-mind, these are just approximations. you can vary the ingredients & cooking times to vary your taste.

2. 2

   firstly, peel the garlic cloves, but leave whole. place the peeled garlic cloves onto an oven tray, drizzle with a little olive oil & place in a pre-heated oven - 180degrees; gas mark 4 - for 15-20 minutes approx', or until the garlic has become golden & caramelised.

3. 3

   next, prepare the thai red curry sauce. in a large, non-stick saucepan, heat up a little olive oil until hot. add the thai red curry paste to the pan & stir. add the tins of coconut milk & the fish sauce & stir well. bring the sauce to the boil & then reduce the heat. simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes approx', or until the sauce has reduced & thickened.

4. 4

   whilst the sauce is thickening, in a large non-stick frying pan, saute off the shitaki mushrooms, roasted garlic cloves, diced red pepper, baby carrots, halved broccoli florets & the peas in a little olive oil, for 3 minutes approx'.

5. 5

   add the fresh lobster meat & continue to saute for a further 3-5 minutes approximately.

6. 6

   add the thickened sauce to the lobster & vegetables in the pan & season to taste. stir well & then bring to the boil. reduce the heat once again & then simmer for a further 5 minutes approx', or until the lobster meat has been lightly poached in the sauce.

7. 7

   to serve, stir a knob of butter through the cooked chinese black rice - cooked using instructions on the packet - until thoroughly melted through. place the rice into a rammekin dish & press down firmly to mould the shape. out-turn the rice onto the centre of a warmed serving bowl. pour the thai red lobster curry around the rice.

8. 8

   garnish with a lobster head placed on top of the rice & a dusting of shredded thai basil.