Ingredients
90ml olive oil
3 medium onions, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2-3 Tbsp (30-45ml) Isabella’s homemade curry paste
2 Tbsp (30ml) apricot jam
1-2 cups (250-500ml) coconut cream
Juice and grated peel of 1 lemon
Salt and milled pepper
1 Tbsp (15ml) butter
Bunch fresh thyme, chopped
Bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1kg mussel meat
1 cup (250ml) white wine
8 egg yolks
2 cups (500ml) rice, for serving
Chutney, for serving
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Heat ¼ cup (60ml) oil and fry 2 onions and 2 garlic cloves until translucent.
Add curry paste and fry for a minute.
Stir in apricot jam, coconut cream, lemon juice and peel.
Gently bring to a simmer.
Adjust seasoning, turn off heat and stand for at least 30 minutes.
In a clean saucepan, heat butter and remaining oil and fry remaining onion and garlic until translucent.
Add chopped fresh thyme and parsley and the mussels (in or out of shells, depending how you bought them).
Cover and steam for 2-3 minutes, then add white wine and steam for 5 minutes more.
Remove from heat, shell mussels if necessary, and reserve mussel meat.
Add egg yolks to the cooled curry sauce and mix thoroughly.
Fold in mussel meat and place in a large casserole dish.
Bake until the mixture has firmed up like bobotie, about 45 minutes to an hour.
Serve with rice and chutney.
Cook's note: You will need about 5 kg mussels in their shells to yield 1 kg mussel meat.
