Chef and restauranteur Jerry Mai is often credited with helping popularize Vietnamese flavours in Melbourne, Australia, where she now lives and works. This recipe, from her recent cookbook Vietnam: Morning to Midnight is “simple and effective, with beautiful flavours coming from the Thai basil and lemongrass alongside the sweetness of the mussels,” she writes. Lager-style beer makes the base for the broth – if you want to keep the flavour as authentic as possible, you can look for Bia Hanoi in specialty markets, but other lager-style brews will work just as well. Serve it up with a quick cumquat chili salt and transport yourself to Vietnam.
Steamed Mussels With Beer and Thai Basil
Jerry Mai's recipe for steamed mussels in a spicy lager, lemongrass and Thai basil broth, served with cumquat chili salt.
Ingredients
- 1 330 ml can lager-style beer Bia Hanoi, if available
- 4 sprigs Thai basil stalks and leaves separated
- 1 1¾ in piece of ginger crushed
- 1 long red chili sliced
- 1 lemongrass stalk white part only, lightly crushed and cut into 4 in lengths
- 2 lbs + 3 oz (1 kg) mussels scrubbed and debearded
- 4 banh mi rolls optional
Cumquat Chilli Salt
- 1 bird’s eye chili
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 4 cumquats halved
Instructions
- To make the cumquat chili salt, pound the chili to a paste using a mortar and pestle. Add the salt and lightly pound until well combined. Divide the chilli salt among four small dipping bowls and top with two cumquat halves.
- Place the beer, Thai basil stalks, ginger, chili and lemongrass in a saucepan large enough to comfortably hold the mussels. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the mussels, then cover and cook, shaking the pan often, for about 5 minutes or until the shells have opened. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to a large serving plate and pour the broth into a serving bowl. Scatter the reserved Thai basil leaves over the mussels and broth.
- To eat, invite everyone to juice the cumquats into their chili salt. Dip the mussels in the broth, followed by the chili salt, and enjoy with banh mi, if you like.
