Thai Green Curry

All right, I know you can get perfectly good Thai curry at a restaurant, so why go through the trouble of grinding kaffir leaves, lemon grass, red chilies etc to make the perfect green curry paste. But trust me when I say this...my recipe is simple;of course, uses ingredients that are usually in my store cupboard and tastes just as good or even better than a Thai restaurant. Well may be not better, but you can make it as hot or as tangy as you desire. So here's presenting authentic Thai green curry only from Nev's Kitchen....

Ingredients: Serves 2-3

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 250 ml coconut milk
• 5-6 Finely chopped cloves of garlic
• 1 Medium sized white onion sliced
• 1 Cup of mixed vegetables (I generally use a small packet of mixed frozen veggies consisting of carrots, broccoli, beans, sweet corn etc.)
• 1½ tbsp. Thai green curry paste (I buy a tub from any oriental store or at the super market)
• Handful of freshly chopped coriander 
• 1½  Cup of Water
• 1-2 tsps. Brown Sugar
• Salt to taste
• Optional -¼ tsp. Chilli flakes (use only if you like your food hot)-  
• Optional- ½ cup tofu or veg chicken or real chicken (you can get this at any oriental store- I go to the one in the Valley) 

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onions and cook till they are translucent. 
• Add the garlic and saute for 3mins or until the garlic turn slightly brown. Add the chili flakes (optional) at this stage. 
• Now add the Thai green curry paste. Mix well. Let it cook for 5 mins.
• Mix in the brown sugar. Now add the veggies. Stir everything together and cook for 2-3 mins.You can cover and cook if you think the veggies will take longer to tenderize. Add about ½ cup water at this stage. I like my curry to be slightly runny and not very thick. So I do add some extra water at the end. 
• Next add the chopped coriander. This is the key ingredient that makes my Thai green curry stand out. 
• After 2-3 mins, add the coconut milk and mix. Rinse the can with water and add to the curry. Check seasoning and add some more sugar if its too hot. 
• If using tofu add it at this stage. It doesn't take too long for tofu to cook. 
• Let the curry simmer on low heat for 5 mins. Partially cover the pan when simmering it. 
• Turn the heat off, leave it with the lid on for another 5 mins. 

Serve with plain steamed rice. Squeeze some lemon juice just before serving. Serve hot.