THAI VEGGIE CURRY SOUP
I learned from my Malaysian aunt that you should heat the coconut milk first, then add the curry paste. I now always follow that advice. This is her delicious recipe for curry paste, against which I now compare every other Thai green curry. I hope you think it’s as great as I do.
Serves 4
• For the curry paste 2 spring onions, roughly chopped 1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped
1-2 green chillies (to taste), deseeded and roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2.5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 2 dried kaffir lime leaves 2 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce 11/2 tsp fish sauce
Large handful fresh coriander, leaves and stalks, roughly chopped
• For the soup
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk 500ml reduced-salt chicken or vegetable stock
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely sliced 170g baby sweetcorn, halved 200g pak choi, roughly chopped 200g sugar snap peas, chopped 200g dried rice noodles
Lime wedges, to serve
1 / Start by making the curry paste: in a food processor, blitz all of the paste ingredients, reserving some of the fresh coriander leaves to use as garnish.
2 / To make the soup, bring the coconut milk and stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Stir through the curry paste, then add the red pepper and baby sweetcorn. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
3 / Add the pak choi, sugar snap peas and noodles to the pan and cook for a further 3 minutes.
4 / Divide among four bowls and serve, garnished with the lime wedges and reserved coriander leaves. •
This dish is ideal for when you have friends over for dinner.
The pistachio crust would also work well with a flaky white fish, such as cod, or on a chicken breast. Tenderstem broccoli or mangetout would also work in place of the pak choi.
Serves 4
4 x 125g salmon fillets or 1 large salmon piece (500g) 2 tsp runny honey
3 tbsp soy sauce 2 aubergines, sliced into rounds 2cm thick, flesh scored in a crisscross pattern
11/2 tsp olive oil 1 large clove garlic, crushed
200g pak choi, trimmed, separated, washed and patted dry 1 spring onion, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Cooked brown rice and lemon wedges, to serve
• For the pistachio crust
11/2 tbsp olive oil 75g shelled pistachios 2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tsp runny honey
1 / in a food processor, blitz the pistachio crust ingredients to form a chunky paste. Place the salmon on a baking sheet. Spread the pistachio paste over the top of the salmon in a thick layer and set aside.
2 / In a small bowl, mix together the honey with 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce. Place the aubergine slices on a large baking sheet and brush with half of the soy/honey mixture, then turn them over and brush the other sides. drizzle any remaining soy/honey mixture over the top. Roast for 25-30 minutes at 200C until softened.
3 / Add the salmon to the oven for the final 15 minutes of the cooking time, until it is just cooked and the pistachio crust is beginning to brown. 4 / Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a low-medium heat, add the garlic and fry for 1 minute, then add the pak choi and remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, and fry until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped spring onion and lemon zest. Serve the salmon, aubergine slices and pak choi with brown rice and lemon wedges on the side.