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1
Zest half of a lemon.
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2
Juice the lemon to yield 1 tablespoon of juice.
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3
Set the zest and juice aside.
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4
Remove the outer leaves from the lemongrass until you get to the softer, fleshier, pale yellow part.
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5
Trim 2 inches/5 cm from the base of the stalk, then thinly slice the remaining stalk about two-thirds of the way from the base to the tip, or until the stalk becomes woody and is no longer pale.
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6
Set the sliced lemongrass aside and discard the rest.
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7
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine coconut milk, galangal and birds eye chile and bring to a simmer.
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8
Remove from the heat and add the lemon zest, lemon juice, lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaf.
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9
Set aside for 30 minutes, then strain through a fine mesh strainer.
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10
Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
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11
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil.
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12
Add the garlic, ginger, scallion and shallot to cook, stirring occasionally until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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13
Stir in the red chile.
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14
Add the mussels and coconut milk mixture and sprinkle half of the basil, salt, and pepper.
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15
Cover and cook until the mussels have opened, 2 to 3 minutes.
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16
Stir the mussels and transfer to plates or a platter.
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17
Sprinkle the remaining basil, garnish with cilantro sprigs, and serve.
