Lemon grass, coriander, chillies, coconut milk - all these flavours belong to the wonderful food of Thailand. This curry is based on the traditional Thai Green Curry found in many restaurants.

Serves 4

225g Thai fragrant rice
1 tbsp chopped fresh lemon grass
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ bunch Thai basil
½ bunch fresh coriander, chopped
½ small (hot) red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
4-5 tablespoons water
½ tspblack peppercorns
2 tbsp groundnut oil
100g shallots or red onions, halved and sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small aubergine, cut into 1 cm cubes
1 courgette, cut into 1 cm cubes
100g green beans, cut into 2.5cm slices
100g mange tout, topped and tailed
300ml pint coconut milk
Juice of ½ lime or lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Thai basil and fresh coriander, to garnish

1. Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Drain well, stir in the lime zest and keep warm.
   
   
2. Meanwhile, blend the lemongrass, garlic, basil, coriander, chillies, water and blackpepper corns to a paste.
   
   
3. Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently fry the shallots or onion, garlic and aubergine for 5 minutes. Add the aromatic paste and cook over a gentle heat for 2 minutes.
   
   
4. Add the other vegetables and coconut milk and simmer for 15-20 minutes until cooked. Add the lime or lemon juice, salt and pepper.
   
   
5. Serve the curry with the Thai fragrant rice, garnished with sprigs of Thai basil and fresh coriander.

Recipes taken from The Vegetarian Society’s recipe collection ’Vegetarian Food for Friends’ (HarperCollinsPublishers, Autumn 1998).