Turmeric and lime mussel broth recipe

Recipes

0 Comments
Turmeric and lime mussel broth recipe

In this broth, fresh turmeric root adds a beautiful golden colour while the ginger adds warming spice. To maximize the impact of the aromatic ingredients, heat them in a flavourful fat, such as ghee or the Ethiopian spiced butter nit’r qibe. The coconut milk and mussels absorb these flavours as they cook. The addition of lime leaves and juice brightens the broth and counterbalances the heat. This recipe would also work well with clams.

Nit’r qibe is a very tasty fat that forms the basis of many Ethiopian recipes, including this dish. It’s quite similar to ghee, but it contains milk solids and it's seasoned with spices. You can cook with it as you would ghee or any other fat. The recipe makes about 120g of nit’r qibe.

Tip: you could use ghee instead of making nit’r qibe.

This recipe is from Season by Nik Sharma (Chronicle Books, £26). Photography by Nik Sharma.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp nit’r qibe or ghee
  • 910 g mussels
  • 135 g shallots, minced
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 x 5 cm (2 inch) piece fresh turmeric root, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 4 kaffir lime leaves, preferably fresh
  • 1 whole red chilli
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 x 400ml (13.5 floz) can coconut milk
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 60 ml fresh lime juice
  • 2 tbsp thinly-sliced spring onion
  • 1 tbsp nit’r qibe or ghee
  • 32.1 oz mussels
  • 4.8 oz shallots, minced
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 x 5 cm (2 inch) piece fresh turmeric root, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 4 kaffir lime leaves, preferably fresh
  • 1 whole red chilli
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 x 400ml (13.5 floz) can coconut milk
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2.1 fl oz fresh lime juice
  • 2 tbsp thinly-sliced spring onion
  • 1 tbsp nit’r qibe or ghee
  • 32.1 oz mussels
  • 4.8 oz shallots, minced
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 x 5 cm (2 inch) piece fresh turmeric root, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 4 kaffir lime leaves, preferably fresh
  • 1 whole red chilli
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 x 400ml (13.5 floz) can coconut milk
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 0.3 cup fresh lime juice
  • 2 tbsp thinly-sliced spring onion
For the nit'r qibe
  • 220 g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 35 g red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 x 2.5 cm (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 black cardamom pod, crushed
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp nigella seeds
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 7.8 oz unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1.2 oz red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 x 2.5 cm (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 black cardamom pod, crushed
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp nigella seeds
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 7.8 oz unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1.2 oz red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 x 2.5 cm (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 1 black cardamom pod, crushed
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp nigella seeds
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric

Details

  • Cuisine: Ethiopian
  • Recipe Type: Broth
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Preparation Time: 15 mins
  • Cooking Time: 55 mins
  • Serves: 2

Step-by-step

  1. To make the nit’r qibe, line a fine-mesh strainer with a few layers of cheese­cloth and place over a clean, dry 480ml (16 floz) jar with a tight-fitting lid to hold the finished nit’r qibe.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook, skimming off and discarding any foam that rises to the surface, until the butter is completely clear, about 30 minutes.
  3. Carefully pour through the cheesecloth-lined strainer into the jar. Stir the cracked cardamom pod, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds, oregano and turmeric into the hot fat and seal. Store the nit’r qibe in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
  4. Rinse the mussels under cold running water, scrubbing well to remove any grit. Keep on ice in the refrigerator while building the broth.
  5. In a heavy medium stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon nit’r qibe (or ghee) over medium-high heat.
  6. Sauté the shallots until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garam masala and turmeric root and cook for 1 more minute. Add the lime leaves and red chilli and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  7. Stir in the tomato paste and ginger and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the salt and the coconut milk and then gently stir in the mussels.
  8. Cover the stockpot and cook until the mussels open, 12 to 15 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels.
  9. Stir in the lime juice and taste, adding more salt, if necessary. Garnish the broth with the spring onions and serve immediately.

This recipe is from Season by Nik Sharma (Chronicle Books, £26). Photography by Nik Sharma.

You might also like:

Mussels rassa

Baked mussels

Mussels with beer and coriander

Comments

Be the first to comment

Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature

Copyright © lovefood.com All rights reserved.