November 16, 2016

Craig Barritt, Getty Images for Stella Artois
"My mom is Thai so I love to draw inspiration from her cooking style and give it my personal touch. Lots of people think mussels are tricky to make but they're actually super simple and a great one pot dish to make for a crowd! I always serve this with a cold Stella Artois, since it's also a key ingredient in the broth." – Chrissy Teigen
Ingredients
- 2 Cups water
- 4 Pounds mussels, de-bearded and cleaned
- 1 bunch cilantro stalks, stems and leaves divided; Stems tied with a string and leaves reserved
- 2 stalks lemongrass (tender white inner parts only) cut into 2-inch sections and smashed
- 1 2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 Cup shallots, peeled and finely diced
- 2 large celery stalks, cut into thin half moons
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 small Thai bird chilies, finely minced
- 15 Ounces canned coconut milk (not light), shaken
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce, plus more for seasoning
- 1/2 Cup Stella Artois
- Lime wedges and chopped basil for serving
Directions
- Bring the water to a boil in a very large pot. Add the mussels, cilantro bundle, half the lemongrass and half the ginger. Cover and cook until the mussels open, about five minutes.
- Strain the mussels through a colander and set over a large bowl to catch and reserve the liquid. Strain the liquid again if necessary to remove any sand or grit.
- While the mussels cool, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring until just tender but not brown at all, about four minutes.
- Add the reserved mussel cooking liquid (around four cups), coconut milk, fish sauce, garlic, remaining lemongrass and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the soup thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.
- While the broth is simmering, remove the mussels from their shells – there should be around two cups of mussel meat.
- Stir in the beer and simmer for an additional three minutes. Season with additional fish sauce.
- Divide the mussels among four bowls and pour about one cup of the hot broth into each bowl.
- Scatter the top of each bowl with Thai chilies and garnish with additional cilantro and basil. Serve with lime wedges and a cold Stella Artois.