Thai green vegetable curry

Step 1: Put 8 mild green chillies, 10 cloves garlic, 1 onion, ½ tsp ginger paste, 1 stalk lemongrass, 1 cup fresh coriander leaves, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp ground coriander and 2 tsp ground cumin in a blender with ½ cup water, a pinch of ⅓ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Grind to a smooth green paste and keep aside.

Step 2: Bring a large pan of water to the boil with ⅝ tsp salt. Add 2 potatoes and 5 ½ oz cauliflower florets and boil for 5 minutes. Add a teaspoon of 1 tsp milk to the water if you like: it keeps the cauliflower white.

Step 3: Add 4 oz broccoli florets, 3 ½ oz snow peas (mangetout), 2 ⅛ oz French beans, 5 oz shelled peas and 1 green capsicum (bell pepper) and boil for 3 more minutes, until just tender but still bright. Drain.

Step 4: Drop 7 oz paneer into a pan of boiling water for 1 minute to soften, then drain and keep aside.

Step 5: Heat 1 ½ tbsp oil in a wok or wide pan over a medium heat. Add 2 basil leaves and the green paste and fry for 2 minutes, stirring, until it smells fragrant and the raw garlic smell has gone.

Step 6: Stir in 3 ¼ cups coconut milk, the vegetables and paneer, 1 tsp sugar, the rest of the ⅝ tsp salt and the rest of the ¼ tsp black pepper. Simmer gently for 5 minutes until everything is hot and the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste for salt.

Step 7: Serve hot with plain rice.