5-A-Day Vegetable & Cashew Thai Curry

Vegetable & Cashew Thai Curry Served with Black Rice

Serves 4

 Ingredients For the Curry Paste

• 1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1 red chilli, roughly chopped

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped

• 1 knob of ginger, peeled and chopped

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 heaped tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 3 kaffir lime leaves

• 1 dsp coconut oil

• 1 tbsp water

Ingredients For the Curry

• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

• 1 Romanesco cauliflower (or 1 white cauliflower or 1 broccoli), cut into florets and stalk chopped

• 1 aubergine, cut into chunks

• 1 courgette, cut into chunks

• 100g mushrooms (whole or in half depending on size)

• Drizzle olive oil

• 1 tbsp coconut oil

• 1 stick lemon grass

• 1 tin coconut milk

• 1 tbsp tamari or soya sauce

• Toasted cashew nuts

• Handful coriander chopped or Thai basil if you prefer

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan.

2. Place the pepper, cauliflower, aubergine, courgette and mushrooms in a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast in oven for 15 mins or so, until veg slightly soft and have a bit of colour. When done take out of oven ready to add to the curry.

3. Make the paste by blitzing the paste ingredients in a food processor, add a little more water if need be, you might need to scrape the paste from the side and blitz again

4. Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan, add the paste and cook for 5 mins

5. Add the lemongrass, coconut milk and tamari and simmer for 5 mins

6. Add the roasted veg and simmer for another 5 mins or so

7. Once cooked, take out the lemongrass sticks, top with toasted cashew nuts and sprinkle with chopped coriander or Thai basil

8. Serve with black or wholegrain rice.

What else could I add if I don’t have those vegetables?

The great thing about this curry is you can use other veg you have available, for example baby corn, mangetout work well instead of the courgette, you could use sweet potato instead of aubergine and any of the brassica family veg like cauliflower, broccoli, kale or Kalettes work well instead of Romanesco.

Other ways to serve:

If you eat fish you can add chunks of white fish, salmon or prawns with the veg, simmer until opaque and cooked through.

You could also add tofu, again just add to the coconut milk and spices when you add the veg

Or, if you eat chicken and have leftover roast chicken you can add that with the veg, heat through until fully hot.