Thai up

Rocker Jimmy Barnes and wife Jane deliver seasonal recipes with an accent on Southeast Asia.

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This is very easy and just as tasty made with store-bought red curry paste. However, if you want to make it from scratch, the recipe is below.

THAI FISH AND PINEAPPLE CURRY

Serves 6-8

• 1 litre coconut milk or cream

• 2 tbsp red curry paste (below)

• 450g can pineapple pieces in syrup

• 450g can crushed pineapple

• 3 tsp vegetable stock powder

• 225g can sliced bamboo shoots, drained

• 1.5kg fish fillets, cut into 3cm chunks

• fish sauce, to taste

• sea salt flakes

• 2 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves

• Thai basil leaves, torn, to serve

Pour half the coconut milk into a medium-large pot and bring to the boil over a medium heat.

Add the red curry paste, stirring into the coconut milk until dissolved and evenly combined. Boil for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the pineapple pieces (including the syrup) and the crushed pineapple. Cook for a further 8 minutes. Add the rest of the coconut milk and bring back to the boil.

Add the stock powder and bamboo shoots. Let the sauce come back to the boil and cook for a few minutes more, until it reduces and thickens a little.

Add the fish and cook for 8 minutes, until tender and cooked through.

Taste to check if you need to add fish sauce, and season with salt to taste. Cut the lime leaves in half along either side of the centre stem and mix into the curry.

Spoon the curry into bowls and scatter a good handful of Thai basil over the top. Serve with rice.

RED CURRY PASTE

It's fun to create your own paste, though it can be challenging to find some of these ingredients. I sometimes make this and mix it with tinned paste to make the latter taste fresher.

Makes 6-8 tablespoons

• 6 dried red chillies

• 1 tsp coriander seeds