This is not a hot curry so if your taste buds are wary of strong food, trust me, you will handle it.

I recently came across a good Massaman curry paste. Since I love Thai food I decided to order some of my favourite vegetables and make a warm meal this past weekend.

The paste was so fragrant that every neighbour around me complimented the aroma’s wafting out of my front door. Some of the ingredients in the paste included, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cumin, bay leave, nutmeg, mace and elachi (cardamom). There’s also hints of lemongrass, pepper, shrimp paste and dried chili peppers.

I don’t know about you, but I’m all for buying pastes and storing them for days when I don’t want to use my regular spices. However, I did add a bit of my own flavours to this dish. I also chucked in an onion which the back of the box didn’t instruct.

Ingredients

3 tbsp Massaman curry paste

500g chicken, cubed/Vegan alternative - Woolworths Plant Powered Protein Stir-Fry Strips

1 small can low fat coconut milk

1 cup brocoli

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

1/2 onion sliced

Sumac for a sprinkling just before serving

coriander for garnish

Method

1. In a large wok, add onions to the dry hot pan. The heat should be on medium.

2. Add the curry paste to the onions after 30 seconds and stir it for about 1 minute.

3. Add vegan strips/chicken to the wok and cook for another minute.

4. Pour in coconut milk and let the dish simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Add vegetables and cook for a further 5 minutes.

6. Garnish with coriander and sprinklings of Sumac powder.

7. Serve with fluffy brown rice, red sorghum, millet or any other wholegrain you particularly fond of.