Thai vegetable curry

170 calories per serving

OBVIOUSLY you can use shop-bought curry paste if you prefer, but our home-made version is quick to make and tastes fantastic. We’ve included Thai basil, which you can find in many supermarkets, but don’t worry if you don’t have any. Just use a mix of ordinary basil and coriander instead.

SERVES 4

1 tsp vegetable oil 2 shallots, thinly sliced 400 ml reduced-fat coconut milk 200 ml hot vegetable stock 2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded 1 medium aubergine 200 g butternut squash 200 g green beans 1 large courgette ½ small cauliflower (about 200g) Juice of 1 lime Small bunch of coriander leaves Small bunch of Thai basil (optional) Freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE CURRY PASTE

1 red chilli 1 tbsp coriander stems 2 shallots 4 garlic cloves 10 g chunk of fresh root ginger 2 lemongrass stalks or 1 tbsp lemongrass paste 1 tbsp galangal paste 1tbsp soy sauce or tamari ½ tsp turmeric FIRST, prepare the ingredients for the curry paste. Deseed the chilli if you want to decrease the heat. Roughly chop the chilli, coriander stems, shallots and garlic. Peel and chop the ginger. Remove the outer layers of the lemongrass stalks, then roughly chop the soft white centres. Put all the paste ingredients into a food processor with some pepper. Add a splash of water and blitz until smooth. Put the oil in a large pan. Add the shallots and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the paste. Stir the paste for 2-3 minutes until it smells very aromatic, then pour in the coconut milk and vegetable stock. Add the lime leaves, season with pepper and leave to simmer gently while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Cut the aubergine and butternut squash into chunks of about 3cm. Add them to the pan, cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, trim the green beans, cut the courgette into chunks and separate the cauliflower into florets. Add these to the pan, then cover again and simmer for a further 5 minutes. When all the vegetables are tender, add the lime juice. Taste the curry for seasoning and add more soy sauce or tamari if you think it needs it. Serve sprinkled with coriander leaves and Thai basil leaves, if using.