RECIPE: Coconut Curry Ramen and Mussels

Anyone who knows me, knows that two of my favorite restaurants in DC are Toki Underground and Granville Moore's. Both restaurants served as the inspiration for my coconut curry broth recipe that you will find below. Although I made the stock from scratch, I substituted a few ingredients in the recipe to speed up the process for you. As with all spicy dishes, adjust the fiery ingredients to your palate's tolerance.

The Input
1 1/2 tablespoons of peanut oil
2 cups of white wine that you would actually drink and not for dessert
2 cups of vegetable broth
2 cups of chicken broth
26 ounces of coconut milk
1/4 pound of pork jowl, belly, or thick-cut bacon
10 fresh curry leaves or 2 tablespoons of curry powder
10 fresh thai basil leaves
5 fresh kaffir lime leaves
1 inch piece of finely chopped ginger
4 inch piece of finely chopped lemongrass
1 large chopped onion
3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
3 finely chopped red Thai chili or Serrano peppers
2 tablespoons of red chili paste
1 1/2 teaspoons of fish sauce
1 pound of finely chopped carrots
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground pepper
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 lemon and lime squeezed and strained
chopped green onion for garnish

The Algorithm

Heat the oil in a large pot. Sauté the onion, lemongrass, curry, and kaffir lime leaves, red chili sauce, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, and pork jowl until the outer skin browns. Add the white wine, broth, coconut milk along with the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Once the broth is boiling, reduce to low heat and let it simmer for an hour or until the oil separates from the coconut milk. For a more intense flavor, let the broth refrigerate overnight.