FLAVOUR SAVIOURS

Thai food’s complex, subtle flavour relies on a combination of four essential tastes: sour, salty, sweet and spicy. Every dish uses at least two of these, but most incorporate all four. Nail the balance between them and you’re set for life. Make sure you have these ingredients in your arsenal to make the perfect curry paste

CHILLIES

The level of heat is up to you, but chillies are an essential part of a good curry paste. If you’re really scared of hot food, remove the seeds and ribs before chopping.

CORIANDER

This can be a polarising ingredient, but these seeds are an essential part of a good curry paste. They add earthiness.

LIMES

Lime juice adds a sour note – always use fresh limes rather than bottled juice. You can substitute it with lemon.

TURMERIC

Fresh turmeric is now readily available in Woolworths stores in both crushed and whole forms. It adds earthy pepperiness and a deep yellow colour.

SHRIMP PASTE

This adds a salty tanginess – you’ll find it at your local Asian grocery store. You only need a small amount,

so go easy!

CUMIN

Use cumin seeds rather than the ground spice, and toast them in a dry pan to temper them before crushing.

LEMONGRASS

Bruise the white part of the stalk (by crushing or bashing it) to release its flavour. Choose young, flexible stalks – older ones can be woody and fibrous.

GINGER

Fresh ginger has so much more of a flavour kick than its dried cousin. Grate it for maximum effect.

GARLIC

Always use whole, fresh cloves rather than the pre-crushed version. It’s just better that way, trust us.

Serves 4 to 6

EASY

GREAT VALUE Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes

sunflower oil 2T

beef fillet 500 g sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste peanut oil 1T

Woolworths organic vegetable stock 2 cups fish sauce 2T

Woolworths coconut palm sugar 1T coconut cream ½ cup

Woolworths fresh coconut chunks, finely grated, for serving

Woolworths crispy onion sprinkle, for serving mini cucumbers, halved, for serving basil, to garnish

For the curry paste: coriander seeds 2 t, toasted cumin seeds 1 t, toasted black peppercorns ½t salt ½t garlic 4 cloves red chillies 2, roughly chopped ginger 1 x 3 cm piece, peeled and grated fresh turmeric 1 x 2 cm piece, grated fresh coriander 15 g, roughly chopped shrimp paste 1t lime 1, zested and juiced lemongrass 1 stalk, roughly chopped (white part only) red onion 1, finely chopped

1 Heat the oil in a large cast-iron pan over a high heat. Season the beef. Once the pan is smoking hot, cook the meat for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat then allow to rest. 2 To make the curry paste, place the dry ingredients in a pestle and mortar and grind until fine. 3 Add the remaining ingredients and pound until you have a smooth paste. 4 Heat the peanut oil in a large pan or wok and fry the paste until fragrant, add the stock, fish sauce and palm sugar, then simmer gently for 5 minutes.

5 Slice the beef and serve on top of the curry. Drizzle over the coconut cream and serve with the fresh coconut, crispy onions, cucumbers and basil.

Cook’s note: Replace the beef with prawns or chicken, or make a veggie version using mushrooms, Tenderstem broccoli and tofu. CARB-CONSCIOUS, FAT-CONSCIOUS, DAIRY-FREE, WHEAT- AND GLUTEN-FREE WINE: Woolworths La Motte Shiraz Grenache 2017

PERFECT SCONES

Golden on the outside with plenty of height, a simple, flawless scone is an art – there’s no icing or ganache to hide behind. So how can you guarantee light, airy scones (not dense, flat pancakes) out of your oven? Turn to page 114 for expert advice, then bake it away, baby! Serve them warm from the oven with whipped butter, jam and crème fraîche.

Score the skin of the fish to stop it curling

up in the pan”