Chilli Beer Musscles - What Beer?

[.DJ.]

I'm going to be making this over the weekend and was looking for a beer to accompany it and also if different beers would add different flavours...

Mussels
3 chillis
garlic
spring onions
tin tomatoes
1 x stubbie of beer

really simple, just chuck all into a hot wok for 3 minutes or until mussels open..

Now what beer would be accompany this? A nice crisp pislner? or a hoppy APA or IPA?
And what beer would makes the flavours more interesting??

 

[Fourstar]

I'm going to be making this over the weekend and was looking for a beer to accompany it and also if different beers would add different flavours...

Mussels
3 chillis
garlic
spring onions
tin tomatoes
1 x stubbie of beer

really simple, just chuck all into a hot wok for 3 minutes or until mussels open..

Now what beer would be accompany this? A nice crisp pislner? or a hoppy APA or IPA?
And what beer would makes the flavours more interesting??

Saying Chilli i'd go a IPA with the beer to drink, if its a delicate sauce without tomato, asian style greens e.g. corriander, spring onion, thai basil, lemongrass ginger etc i'd go it with the pilsner.

The one thign to keep in mind when using the beer for cooking you want something with a low IBU as it can get harsh and overpowering as it cooks down. a safe bet is to cook it with a pilsner or even a helles.

 

[.DJ.]

i thought IPA aswell (gives me an excuse to buy some!!)

thanks for the advice on the IBU's with cooking... not something I had considered...

 

[Fourstar]

i thought IPA aswell (gives me an excuse to buy some!!)

thanks for the advice on the IBU's with cooking... not something I had considered...

Just something ive noticed when trying to reduce beer for sauces. a very hard thing todo. I tried to make a small sweet stout reduction by deglazing the pan and some butter to try with some kangaroo. Ended up being uber bitter and had to toss it.

Its easy to use when its in large loose liquid volumes like a cassulet, stew, etc. Just when it gets reduced heavily it can be a little on the 'bitter' side. sort of like tasting hopped wort extract from a kit.

 

[manticle]

I'm going to be making this over the weekend and was looking for a beer to accompany it and also if different beers would add different flavours...

Mussels
3 chillis
garlic
spring onions
tin tomatoes
1 x stubbie of beer

really simple, just chuck all into a hot wok for 3 minutes or until mussels open..

Now what beer would be accompany this? A nice crisp pislner? or a hoppy APA or IPA?
And what beer would makes the flavours more interesting??

As an aside - I'd go fresh tomatoes. Tinned tomatoes will taste tinned if you are only cooking them for 3 minutes - they need a good amount of time to cook out. Usually I'd heat the pot, chuck in oil and the garlic and spices for a minute or so, season then throw in the mussels. Allow a bit of heat to build up, throw in the tomato and alcohol, which will cool the pot a touch and make steam, cover and wait till they open up like a little blossoming flower. A bit of fresh chopped parlsey wouldn't be out of place (flat leaf)

I think I may need to eat some mussels soon.

 

[Supra-Jim]

+1 for manticles suggestion, i do my mussels with a similar recipe to that above, and always use fresh tomatos (3 toms chopped up per 1kg of mussels).

For the beer, go with an IPA (as suggested) or a nice hoppy APA, either will be good. I use about 1 cup of beer for 1kg of mussels.

Throw in a nice chunk of butter when you're steaming the mussels and you'll turn the tomatos etc into a lovely rich spicy tomatoy soup.

I'd also be swaping out the spring onions, for some shallots, then give throw a nice handful of fresh coriander across the top before serving!! :icon_drool2:

Cheers SJ (now i am very hungry and craving beer mussels!!!)

 

[Fourstar]

I'd also be swaping out the spring onions, for some shallots, then give throw a nice handful of fresh coriander across the top before serving!! :icon_drool2:
Cheers SJ (now i am very hungry and craving beer mussels!!!)

By being a Melbournian we mean REAL shallots too (the little purple onion/garlicy bulb) not shallots = Spring onions as most in NSW refer to them as.

 

[Supra-Jim]

Yep, in my book shallot = small onion looking thing, often purply colour, spring onion = long green shoot with white tip/bulb.

Spring onion best for sprinkling across finished food (i.e baked potato, nachos etc), shallots for cooking with/frying up/sauteing.

Back on topic, in this case, sprinkle finished product with coriander, grab a slice of lemon, and have some nice crusty bread to help soak up the lovely juices/soup!!

Cheers SJ

 

[vicelore]

I cook them with garlic, herbs and Guinness.. Cant beat it.. fresh crusty bread to dip in the left over sauses is devine.

 

[Mercs Own]

What beer to cook with or to drink with??? One in the same as I hope the beer you cook with is also the one that you drink with the dish. The simple answer is what ever beer you like - that said it can also depend on your mood. A nice crisp pils will work well with your recipe as will a nice hoppy pale ale. I quite like a dark beer with my mussels perhaps a Rogers, a White Rabbit, a Squires Porter all good and all give the mussels their own character and flavour. Of course a fairly famous combo is Hoegaarden in your mussels adds the spice and fruity characters as does a nice Heffewiezen......see what I mean? They all work it just depends on what you want, what you have in the fridge and what your mood is.

One thing for certain though dont use light beer and dont use mass comercial meg swill - not if you want subtle and comples flavour.

cheers

 

[Mercs Own]

Made these the other night - thought I would share the love.

Mussels in Coconut Milk and Beer


25g of unsalted butter
25 mils of olive oil
1 long green chili thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic chopped
2 Lebanese eggplants
2.5 cm piece of ginger - peeled
cup of peas
1 stick of lemon grass -
2 Kaffir lime leaves remove middle stalk and thinly sliced
1 kilos of fresh mussels
1 330mil bottle of Hoegaarden Wit Beer
1 27o mil can of coconut milk
1 tsp of fish sauce
Big pinch of salt
1 bunch of fresh Coriander to finish


Clean and de-beard the mussels discarding any with broken shells, set the rest aside in a colander.
On the stove melt the butter and oil in a large pot that will accommodate the mussels. When butter is foaming add the garlic and chili and stir. With the flat of your kitchen knife or palm of your hand smash the peeled ginger so that it is squashed and falls into chunks add this to the pan. Peel away the tough outer layers of the Lemon grass stalk to reveal the pale lower section of the stem. Use a sharp knife to trim the base. Cut the stalk into 4 pieces and then smash the stem with the flat side of a knife to bruise and release the flavour add to the pot. Cut the Lebanese eggplant in half lengthways and then cut again lengthways so you end up with four pieces from each eggplant. Now chop them into pieces about 5 mm thick and add to pan along with the peas and the Kaffir lime leaves. Give it all a stir and cook until the eggplant has softened about five minutes.

Add the mussels and turn the heat to high and add half the beer. Put a lid on the pot and give it a shake. The beer will boil and create steam which will cook the mussels which in turn release their juices and add to the steaming process. Shake the pan a few times while this happens and when all the mussels are open add the rest of the beer and the coconut milk and give the mussels a good stir so they are well drenched in the sauce. Taste the sauce for seasoning - if the mussels are really fresh they may release a lot of fresh salty sea water into the sauce in which case you will not need to add any salt. Add the fish sauce and any salt if needed and taste again. Simmer for a couple more minutes.

Divide the mussels and sauce equally into to two large bowls and garnish with some freshly chopped coriander.

Serve on its own, or with some toasted crusty sour dough.

Serves
2 as a main
4 as an entre.

 

[winkle]

Wit.
simply great, 10* Belgians can't be wrong.

Merc, that recipe has me :icon_drool2: straight after lunch!