Looking for healthy mid-week meals? This south-east Asian style vegie curry is super delicious and can be ready in 30 minutes!

serves 4

400g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces 

1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

500g tomatoes, or 400g can chopped tomatoes

olive oil, to drizzle for cooking

1 teaspoon yellow curry paste (I used ‘Mae Ploy’ brand)

400ml can coconut milk

500ml vegetable, or chicken stock

2 kaffir lime leaves, torn (frozen leaves available at Asian grocers)

150g snow peas

1 bunch Chinese broccoli, stem thinly sliced and leaves roughly chopped 

large handfuls of baby spinach leaves

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice

½ bunch fresh coriander leaves

½ bunch basil or Thai basil leaves

1 lime, cut into wedges

For the roasted vegetables, heat oven to 180°C.  Place pumpkin and cauliflower in a large roasting dish. Drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat vegetables in oil and spread out evenly.  Spread tomatoes in a small roasting dish and drizzle over olive oil. Roast vegetables for 20 minutes, or until pumpkin and cauliflower are just tender and golden brown around edges and the tomatoes have collapsed and soft.  

Meanwhile heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sized saucepan over a low-medium heat.  Add the paste, stirring for about 30 seconds, until aromatic.  Stir in the coconut milk then add the stock.  Bring to a simmer.  Add kaffir lime leaves, roasted tomatoes and the roasting juices, or canned tomatoes, if using.  Add remaining roasted vegetables and bring to the boil.   Add the snow peas and Chinese broccoli stems and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until snow peas are just tender. Stir in the Chinese broccoli leaves, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice.  Taste. Ideally the flavor is an equal balance of sweet, salty and sour. 

Ladle into deep bowls. Garnish with coriander and basil leaves. Serve with lime wedges and fish sauce alongside, to adjust to taste, adding extra fish sauce for saltiness and lime juice for sourness, if desired.

VARIATIONS

• Add 400g of cubed firm tofu with snow peas

• For a seafood option add 400g ocean trout fillet, cut into thin strips and add with snow peas

• For a chicken option add 400g skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into thin ½ cm wide strips and add with roasted vegetables

Fiona Hammond © May 2019