Vegetarian Thai green curry

Ingredients:

For paste:

1 tsp cumin

Half cup coriander leave

1 thai bird eye chillie (it's quite spicy so be careful about using more than one)

1 inch piece galangal

1/2 inch piece ginger

3-4 cloves garlic

1-2 lemongrass stalk ( take out the dry outer layers and chop inner softer stalk)

1 medium onion

1 cup water

For curry:

1 packet full fat coconut milk

Water to adjust consistency

Salt to taste

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 cups mix vegetables ( french beans, asparagus, Brinjal, carrot, mushrooms, you may use bakchoy too)

1/2 inch piece of galangal, cut into slices

1 stalk of lemongrass, cut into half inch piece

Method:

For paste-

- grind all the ingredients together into thin paste

- heat a wok, pour the paste and dry roast it till water almost evaporates and thickens

For curry-

• Heat oil, and saute mushrooms till they are cooked

• In the wok which has green curry paste, add Coconut milk and water to adjust consistency, add all the vegetables along with galangal and lemongrass stalks except mushrooms

• Add salt to taste

• Let it boil, Vegetables get cooked. For Thai curry or for that matter any Asian curry, you don't completely cook the vegetables. They are semi cooked and crunchy

• Once you think, the vegetables are semi cooked add sauted mushrooms

• Give it one final boil and the curry is ready

Serve with Jasmine rice or thai berry rice.