A thick, dry-style curry of firm fish (or prawns) in a concentrated red curry paste sauce — similar in technique to phanaeng (Entry TH-17) but using red curry paste (Entry TH-04) with a higher ratio of coconut cream to thin milk, producing a preparation where the fish sits in a rich, clinging sauce rather than swimming in a poured curry. Chu chi is specifically designed for firm fish that will not break apart in a thick sauce — snapper, barramundi, sea bass.
**The dry-curry technique:** Identical to phanaeng — stage-reduction of the coconut milk (Entry TH-17 principle) — but using red curry paste rather than panang paste. **The fish:** Whole fish fillets (or a whole deep-fried fish) rather than cubed protein — the fish is laid in the wok on top of the sauce for the last stage of cooking rather than being stirred through it. This prevents the fish from breaking. **The garnish:** Fresh red chilli strips and kaffir lime leaf chiffonade arranged on the fish at service — the aromatic brightness of the fresh garnish cutting through the rich sauce. **[VERIFY]** Thompson's specific chu chi method — particularly whether the fish is fried first or poached in the sauce.
David Thompson, *Thai Food* (2002); *Thai Street Food* (2010)