Serves 4
2 ounces vegetable oil
1 tablespoon freshly chopped garlic
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2 red chilies, sliced into rings
1 2-inch knob of ginger
4 stalks lemon grass (white part only), thinly sliced into rings
2 pounds cleaned black mussels
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup fresh Thai basil
Heat oil in a large wok, and stir fry the garlic and shallots for 1 minute. Add the chilies, ginger, and lemon grass, and stir fry 1 minute more. Add the mussels, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar, and cover the wok and cook for 2 minutes over high heat. Stir the mussels again, then replace the lid and cook the mussels for an additional 2 minutes. Depending on how hot your stove is, the mussels should be cooked and the shells open. Mix in the Thai basil and place mussels in a large bowl to serve.
