When I was a student, it was impossible to find a jar of ready-made Thai curry sauce that was vegan. But I was lucky enough to live near a Chinese and Middle-Eastern supermarket. You can, of course, use a jar instead of making your own paste!
Serves 4
Cooking Time:15 minutes
Ingredients for the paste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 stick fresh lemongrass
2tsp fresh grated ginger root
4 small green chillis (deseeded)
4 shallots
25g (1 oz) fresh coriander or basil, or both
1 kaffir lime leaf (optional)
1 tsp finely grated lime peel
1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt
Other ingredients
165 ml (about 6 fl oz) coconut milk
250 ml (9 fl oz) vegetable stock
1 green pepper
1 courgette
100g (4 oz) green beans
A tin of chickpeas, a drained tin of ‘mock duck’ or a block of tofu (either Taifun brand, which is extra firm and ready to eat, or normal tofu that has been drained, cubed and fried)
Instructions
1) Put all the for the paste in a blender, and blend until smooth.
2) Chop the pepper, courgette and beans.
3) Put the paste in a saucepan with the stock and coconut milk. Gently bring to the boil, and add the vegetables and crispy ‘mock duck’.
4) Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add chopped coriander or basil and serve with rice.
Parsley Soup 