Vegetable Massaman Curry

A mild yet aromatic curry from Thailand that works wonderfully with chicken and beef; here, tofu bulks it out with potatoes, cauliflower and green beans. The texture of tofu changes when you freeze it, becoming almost spongey, but don’t worry; this makes it even more delicious as it soaks up the wonderful sauce and all its flavours even better.

Serves 4-6 Prep: 10 mins Cook: 40 mins

3 tbsp vegetable oil

225g firm tofu, cut into large dice

2 red onions, thinly sliced 3cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

3 garlic cloves, grated

1 lemongrass stalk, bashed

3 tbsp massaman curry paste

400g sweet potato, peeled and cut into

2cm pieces

1 medium (about 500g) cauliflower, broken into large florets

2 x 400ml tins coconut milk

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp soy sauce

150g green beans, trimmed and halved

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO SERVE

Juice of 1 lime Handful of coriander leaves

Handful of chopped toasted peanuts Steamed rice or rice noodles 1 Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large wok or frying pan. Fry the tofu until golden all over, then remove and set aside. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and fry the onion, ginger, garlic and lemongrass for 5 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the curry paste and fry for a minute or two.

2 Add the sweet potato and fry for 5 minutes before adding the cauliflower and frying for 2-3 minutes more. Pour in the coconut milk, season well and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the veg has cooked. Add the fried tofu, fish sauce, soy sauce and green beans for the last few minutes.

3 Serve with a good squeeze of lime juice, some coriander leaves and toasted chopped peanuts, and steamed rice or rice noodles.