Name: Mussels with Lemon Grass, Chilli and Garlic (Chem Chép Xả Ớt)
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 1 handful coriander (cilantro) leaves; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon fish sauce; 1 teaspoon potato starch; 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) black mussels; 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) chicken stock; 2 tablespoons oil; ½ lemon; 2 lemon grass stems, white part only, finely sliced; 1 bird’s eye chilli, sliced; ½ onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 teaspoons sugar; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; ½ teaspoon salt

Preparation info

Serves
2

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Secrets of the Red Lantern

By Pauline Nguyen , Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen

Published 2007

About

Ingredients

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) black mussels
250

Method

Scrub and de-beard the mussels, then set aside. In a wok over high heat, add the chicken stock and mussels, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, or until the mussels open. (Discard any that do not open.) Strain the mussels, reserving the cooking liquid for later use.

Put the wok back over medium heat, add the oil and gently fry the lemon grass, onion, garlic and chilli. Once golden,