When you’re trying to be “healthy,” or “semi-healthy,” or even “I’m-conscious-of-being-healthy-but-I’m-not-actually-that-committed,” coming up with interesting mid-week dinners can be tough.

Of course, there are the usual suspects: salads, stir fries, and grilled chicken/fish and vegetables. These are all well and good (not to mention delicious)… but they can get a bit boring. And, when you’ve spent the day verging on “hangry,” barely suppressing the desire to order Deliveroo or Dominos to be delivered the second you walk through the door… sometimes you need something a little bit more inspiring to look forward to.

This is where my Super Simple Thai Green Curry really hits the spot. It’s pretty much as simple as throwing everything into a pan… and it turns out great every time.

Obviously, it has one or two more calories than a salad, but it’s not super bad and it tastes great (what more could you ask for?)

Note: If you’re one of those people who has the energy to whip up a curry paste from scratch after a day of meetings and deadlines, feel free! I’ll continue to use shop-bought in a jar (and feel OK with that).

Ingredients

Serves 2, with leftovers.

• 160g prawns (frozen are perfectly fine… and cheaper)
• 2 tbsp Thai green curry paste (Blue Dragon works well)
• 150g Basmati rice (loving Waitrose’s Basmati and Wild Rice)
• 1 medium-sized aubergine/eggplant, chopped into cubes. Alternatively, courgette, sliced, works well
• 1 handful green beans/sugar snap peas, chopped or whole
• 1 handful baby sweetcorn, chopped into 1cm pieces
• 1 tin coconut milk
• 2 limes
• 1 red chilli (depending on how hot you like it!)
• 1 bunch coriander
• 1 bunch basil (Thai or regular)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
• 2 lemongrass stalks, crushed with the flat side of a knife
• 1 tsp palm sugar
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 tsp coconut or vegetable oil

Method

1. Heat a splash of oil in a wok or large frying pan on a medium heat.
2. Add the aubergine and cook until it starts to soften.
3. Toss in the sweetcorn and cook for three minutes.
4. Spoon in the Thai green curry sauce and stir to coat the vegetables (watch out for spitting!)
5. Pour in the coconut milk and the beans and allow to simmer.
6. Add the lemongrass, palm sugar and lime leaves and cook until the vegetables are soft.
7. Meanwhile, measure out the rice into a medium-sized saucepan. Fill with cold water up to 1cm above the rice. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, lower the heat and put a lid on the pan. The rice is ready when all the water has disappeared (make sure the rice doesn’t stick at the end).
8. Turn the heat right down and add the frozen prawns and stir through.
9. Add the basil, coriander and juice of two limes. Note: keep back two little wedges of lime for serving and remove the lemongrass stalks and lime leaves.
10. Garnish with chopped red chilli slices, a couple of basil and coriander leaves, and a wedge of lime.