Hor Mok Talay (ห่อหมกทะเล)
Red Curry Terrine with scallops and crab meat



In South-East Asian cuisine, "mok", "amok" or "ho mok" refers to the process of steam cooking a curry in banana leaves, or to the resulting dish. Thick coconut cream and galangal are classic ingredients, added to a wide range of possible kinds of leaves and staple ingredients. Amok is major national culinary tradition in Cambodia, and is also popular in Laos and Thailand.

INGREDIENTS:
120-150 g red curry paste (gɛɛng pèt แกงเผ็ด)
3.5 cups coconut cream (nám-gà~tí
น้ำกะทิ)
4 large eggs (kài ไข่)
2 cups of Thai basil (hǒo-rá~paa โหระพา)
¾ cups of Kaffir lime leaves (bai-má~grùut ใบมะกรูด ), thinly sliced
1 tbsp galangal (kàa ข่า), grated
8 tbsp fish sauce (nám-bplaa น้ำปลา) to taste
6 tbsp flour (bpɛ̂ɛng แป้ง)
500 g. scallops (hɔ̌ɔi-pát หอยพัด)
500 g. crabmeat (bpuu ปู)
1 or two large red chilies (prík พริก) for garnish.

METHOD:
1.  Prepare a bain marie by taking a large baking sheet, fill it with about 1 inch of water, and put in the oven.  Heat the oven to 400 F.
2.  In a large bowl, add 120 g. of red curry paste to 3 cups of coconut milk, mix well and taste for spiciness.  Add more paste if needed, up to 150g.
3.  Add fish sauce to taste depending on saltiness of curry paste.
4.  Add 6 tbsp. of flour and mix very well and then the eggs.  Stir in the galangal and  lime leaves leaving just a handful on the side for garnish.  Mix well.  
5.  Line the bottom of a 4/12 inch Pâté terrine dish with the Thai basil.
6.  Layer the scallops at the bottom of the terrine, then add the curry/coconut milk mixture.  Fill the terrine to about half way, then add the crabmeat, then the rest of the curry mixture.
7.  Bake the terrine, with the lid on, in the prepared bain marie for about 1 hour.
8.  While the terrine is baking, whisk the remaining 1 cup of coconut milk with the rest of the flour (2 tablespoons).  Heat the mixture until barely boiling, set aside.
9.  Check the terrine after 45 minutes by shaking the terrine a little, the middle should move just a little, and should not look too liquid.  Let it bake a little longer if the mixture still look too loose.  If in doubt, bake a little longer, add more hot water to the bain marie if necessary.  As long as they bain marie still has water, the terrine will not get too dry.
10.  When the terrine looks ready, pour the coconut milk/flour mixture on top, spread well, and let bake (with the lid off) for another 10 minutes.
11.  Take the terrine out of the oven, sprinkle to top with the remaining chiffonade lime leaves and chiffonade red chilies for garnish.
12.  Let rest at least 20 minutes before serving.  Serve with steamed rice.