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1
Combine the red curry paste with the fish sauce and palm sugar, then work the seasoned paste thoroughly into the minced or sliced seafood until every surface is coated and the mixture is uniform, so the aromatics penetrate the flesh rather than sitting on the outside where steam will simply wash them away. Add the chiffonaded kaffir lime leaf, reserving a small quantity for the topping.
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2
Beat the eggs with 180 ml thick coconut cream until fully combined, then pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any chalaza or egg thread, so the finished custard sets with an unbroken, glassy surface rather than a fibrous one. Fold the strained egg-and-cream mixture into the seasoned seafood; the combined mixture should be a smooth, pourable consistency with no visible lumps of unmixed paste.
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3
Divide the mixture evenly among the banana leaf cups or lined ramekins, then set them in a steamer basket above water that is at a gentle, sustained simmer — not a rolling boil — so the custard climbs slowly to the set point and stays silky-firm rather than bubbling and pitting into a grainy, rubbery mass. This is where the dish lives or dies: the correct ratio of one egg to 60 ml thick coconut cream per 100 g of seafood, combined with that gentle heat, determines whether the custard holds its glossy, tender texture or collapses entirely. Steam until a skewer inserted at the centre comes out clean and the surface is just-set and glossy, with no liquid pooling when the cup is gently tilted.
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4
Season the reserved 60 ml thick coconut cream with a pinch of salt, then spoon a thin layer over the surface of each custard so it forms a distinct, rich topping that contrasts with the set custard beneath rather than sinking into it. Scatter the reserved kaffir lime leaf chiffonade over the top, return to the steamer for a brief final steam, and remove as soon as the topping cream is just set and glossy.