Thai Paella

We’ll be the first to admit that culinary mashups can be a bit sus, but this hybrid of tom yum soup and Thai fried rice completely counters that. Punched up with lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, and galangal, it’s then finished in a paella pan to give it the perfect crispy bottom. Pro tip: If you don’t have a traditional Spanish paella pan, any ceramic pot similar to a bibimbap bowl will do.

This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article “This Might Be the Best New Thai Restaurant in the Country. And We’ve Got Their Recipes.”

FOR THE SAUCE

½ cup Pantai brand chili jam

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp tamarind juice

FOR THE FRIED RICE

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp lemongrass, sliced

1 tbsp galangal, thinly sliced

4 makrut lime leaves

½ cup red onion, sliced

2 cups jasmine rice, cooked and refrigerated overnight

½ lb Manila clams

6 mussels

1 tbsp scallions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp sawtooth coriander, roughly chopped

1 lime, quartered

Make the sauce. Whisk sauce ingredients together in a mixing bowl until combined. Divide into two bowls and reserve.

Make the fried rice. In a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp. oil. Stir-fry lemongrass, galangal, lime leaf, and red onion until golden brown, 1–2 minutes. Then add the first half of the sauce to the pan and stir. Add rice, and mix thoroughly.

Crisp up the rice in a paella pan. Transfer the fried rice into a paella pan. Adjust heat to medium low, and cook until rice at the bottom starts to crisp.

Stir fry the seafood. Add remaining oil to a wok over high heat, and stir-fry clams and mussels. Add 1⁄4 cup water, then close the lid to steam the seafood, appoximately 5 minutes. Add the other half of the sauce to the wok, and stir until all seafood is coated.

Bring it together. Transfer the seafood onto the paella pan. Garnish with sliced green onions and sawtooth coriander. Squeeze a slice of lime to finish and serve.

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Thai Paella