Yummy Easy Quick Around The World by Matt Preston. Published by Plum (through Pan Macmillan)

p72 THAILAND

SERVES: 4 PREP: 20 MINS COOKING: 20 MINS
“This curry showcases the melting pot that is Thailand. There are Malay, Indian and Persian traces in its complex use of herbs,
spices and nuts. Descended from a Muslim dish (hence the name, which is a bastardisation of the archaic ‘mussulman’ for those of the Muslim faith), you’ll normally only find it served with chicken, beef and/or vegetables, but it makes a great home for whatever veg is leftover in the crisper drawer of your fridge.”p72

Vegetable Massaman Curry

1½ tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons massaman curry paste
2 large Asian shallots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon finely grated galangal or ginger
4 cardamom pods, crushed
1 cinnamon stick
pinch of grated nutmeg
3 long red chillies, 1 split in half, 2 sliced, to serve
1 × 400 ml can coconut milk
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
¼ cauliflower, cut into chunks
2 small zucchini, cut into chunks
1 capsicum (yellow is best), deseeded and cut into thick chunks
150 g green beans, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp, concentrate or puree
1 tablespoon coarsely grated palm sugar or caster sugar
80 ml (1/3 cup) good-quality natural orange
or pineapple juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
55 g (ƒ cup) raw peanuts, toasted
coriander sprigs, to serve
steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Heat the coconut oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add the curry paste and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the shallot, garlic and galangal or ginger and stir for 1 minute, then stir in the
cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and split chilli. Add the coconut milk and 650 ml water and bring to a simmer.

Add the harder vegetables (in this instance, the sweet potato and cauliflower) and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–6 minutes. Now add the softer vegetables (zucchini, capsicum and beans), along with the tamarind pulp, sugar, juice and soy sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through.

Sprinkle the peanuts, coriander and sliced chilli over the curry and serve with steamed…rice.

TIP
You can swap your veggies around, depending on what’s in season. Try potato or pumpkin instead of the sweet potato, or broccoli instead of cauliflower. Stir in shredded kale, Asian greens, baby spinach leaves or snow peas at the end for extra veg. For extra heartiness, add cubes of tofu or drained canned chickpeas towards the
end of cooking until warmed through.