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5. Serve hot, over rice, topped with a fine dusting of cayenne.

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GET CREATIVE

Make this vegan by replacing the butter with an extra tablespoon of oil.

If you can’t find mangoes, you can substitute fresh or frozen peaches.

Serve lime wedges on the side for squeezing on top.

Garnish with a small amount of finely minced red onion or shallot.

Add some chopped cilantro, mixing it in at the end of cooking and/or sprinkling it over each serving.

Throw in a handful or two of fresh baby spinach leaves when you add the mango. It will cook in.

Stir a large spoonful of yogurt into the sauce just before serving, or just top each serving with a small dollop.

Add up to ½ cup canned coconut milk (light or regular) when you add the mango to make a rich, creamy sauce.

Top each serving with whole or chopped toasted cashews or roasted peanuts.

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thai green curry with coconut milk, vegetables, and tofu

Makes 4 servings

As ethnic food products become more readily available in supermarkets, it’s easier than ever to make quite credible simulations of our favorite restaurant dishes at home for a fraction of the price. In the Thai arena, Thai Kitchen is among the best-known supermarket brands. I love their curry pastes that come in little jars; you can use just a bit (and be advised, “just a bit” packs quite a punch) and then simply screw the top back on and stick the jar in the refrigerator for next time. This recipe uses green curry paste, which is complex, authentic-tasting, and surprisingly fiery. All you do is whisk it into a blend of coconut milk and vegetable broth, add a few other touches of seasoning, and simmer vegetables directly in the sauce, so it’s a one-pot wonder. (Actually two pots. You’ll need to cook some basmati or jasmine rice ahead of time—see Chapter 7: Sides.) Thai Kitchen also makes a fermented fish sauce, called nam pla. It’s pungent and salty—a thin, clear, amber liquid made from fermented salted fish (usually anchovies) that adds another layer of complexity to the flavor. It keeps forever in your cupboard. If you don’t have fish sauce, or you want to keep this totally vegan-vegetarian, you can substitute soy sauce.

This recipe is vegan if made with soy sauce instead of fish sauce.

2 teaspoons Thai green curry paste

One 14-ounce can coconut milk, light or regular (about 1¾ cups)

1½ cups vegetable broth or reconstituted bouillon

1 small slice lemon

2 to 3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce or soy sauce

½ medium red or yellow onion, diced

1 small yellow crookneck or summer squash, cut into ½-inch-thick slices

1 small zucchini, cut into ½-inch-thick slices

2 heaping cups cauliflower florets

2 heaping cups chopped broccoli

1 medium carrot, diced

½ pound small white mushrooms, cleaned, stem ends trimmed, mushrooms halved or left whole, depending on the size

Half a medium red bell pepper, diced

½ pound firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes

1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro

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GET CREATIVE

Add 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger to the sauce along with the curry paste. Or add two slices of ginger (about ¼-inch-thick; no need to peel it) along with the curry paste; remove and discard the ginger slices just before serving.

Add a handful of fresh basil leaves (regular or Thai basil), roughly chopped or sliced into strips, instead of, or in addition to, the cilantro.

Top each serving with whole or chopped toasted cashews or roasted peanuts.

Add other vegetables—for example, unpeeled slices of a long, thin eggplant, or some small chunks of peeled butternut squash or sweet potato.

* * *

1. Put the curry paste in a medium-large saucepan, add the coconut milk and broth or bouillon, and whisk until smooth. Add the lemon slice.

2. Set the pan over high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Then turn the heat all the way down to the lowest possible setting and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Between stirrings, keep the pan partially covered. About 10 minutes into the simmering, remove and discard the lemon slice.

3. Stir