Chu Chi — Dry-Fried Reduced Curry / ฉู่ฉี่

Ingredients

• 1 Whole fish (salt fish, pla che bua) or large king prawns, whole fish cleaned and scored, or prawns shell-on and deveined
• For the chu chi reduction
• 400 ml Coconut milk, full-fat; used for reduction — not a standard curry volume
• 3 tbsp Red or panang curry paste, good-quality, store-bought or fresh-ground
• 2 tbsp Fish sauce
• 1 tsp Palm sugar, shaved or finely chopped
• 60 ml Fresh coconut cream, added at the very end to maintain sheen
• For garnish
• 6 Kaffir lime leaves, very fine chiffonade — surface decoration only
• 2 Red chillies, cut into very fine threads — surface decoration only
• For frying the protein
• 500 ml Neutral oil, for deep-frying the fish or prawns

Method

1. 1
   Heat sufficient neutral oil in a wok or deep pan and fry the fish or prawns until cooked through and the exterior is crisp and golden, so the protein holds its structure and will not fall apart when the hot glaze is spooned over it. Remove, drain well, and hold in a warm place.
2. 2
   In a clean wok over medium heat, warm a ladleful of the coconut milk and fry the curry paste in it, stirring constantly, until the paste is fragrant and has darkened slightly — 3 to 4 minutes — so the raw, harsh edge of the galangal and dried chilli burns off and the paste smells sweet and rounded rather than sharp. The smell of raw paste must be gone before you proceed.
3. 3
   Add the remaining coconut milk and stir to combine, then season with fish sauce and palm sugar. Reduce over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and the coconut fat begins to visibly separate and pool at the surface — this is where the dish lives or dies: an under-reduced, pourable sauce is not chu chi, and the reduction must not be rushed or the paste will scorch before the fat separates.
4. 4
   Once the fat has separated and the paste solids are lightly caramelised, remove the wok from the heat briefly and stir in the fresh coconut cream, so its clean, sweet richness is not driven off by prolonged boiling. Return briefly to the heat for no more than 30 seconds — the glaze should coat the back of a spoon and hold its shape, not flow freely.
5. 5
   Arrange the fried protein on a serving plate or heatproof dish and spoon the glaze over and around it. For a set, caramelised-coconut surface, place the glazed protein under a salamander or in a hot oven for 90 seconds, so the sugars in the coconut cream tighten and the surface takes on its characteristic lacquered sheen.
6. 6
   Finish immediately with very fine kaffir lime leaf chiffonade and fine red chilli threads laid across the surface, cutting both as finely as the knife allows so their fragrance lifts without their texture intruding on the glaze. Serve at once while the glaze retains its sheen.