Preparation

• 1
  1. First prepare the vegetables. Peel the shallot and chop it finely. Peel the garlic and ginger and chop the ginger very finely. Deseed the chilli and slice it into very thin strips. Deseed the pepper, quarter it lengthways and cut it into strips. Cut the aubergines into quarters and the courgette in half lengthways, then cut them into fairly thick slices. Wipe and halve the mushrooms. 2. To make the curry, heat the oil in a large heavy based pan and sauté the shallot on a low heat for 2 minutes to soften it, adding the ginger, garlic and chilli and cooking gently for a further 3 minutes.
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  3. Spoon in the curry paste, stir to coat the shallot mixture and cook for just a minute. Then gradually add the hot vegetable stock.
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  4. Add the coconut milk a little at a time, stirring constantly, until it is all combined, then gradually stir in the coconut cream. Heat, stirring constantly, to bring to a simmer.
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  5. Cut the baby potatoes into halves, or quarters for any bigger ones, and add them to the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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  6. Add the chopped aubergine and cook gently for another 5 minutes, then add the chopped courgette, red pepper and mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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  7. Finally, stir in the fish sauce and the sugar, season to taste with salt and black pepper and simmer for another minute or two. Garnish with chopped coriander to serve.