Ingredients:-

• Serves: 4
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 600 ml (1 pint) fish stock, preferably home-made
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 280 g (10 oz) baby new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
• 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) monkfish fillets, sliced across into medallions
• 115 g (4 oz) small sugarsnap peas
• 100 ml (3½ fl oz) coconut milk
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander to garnish

Green curry paste

• 2 tbsp finely grated fresh galangal
• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh lemongrass
• 4 lime leaves, shredded
• 6 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
• 6 shallots, very finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
• finely grated zest of 1 lime

Method:-

• Prep:25min › Cook:20min › Ready in:45min
• Mix together all the ingredients for the green curry paste and stir in 6 tbsp water. (If you have a food processor, you can save chopping time by using the machine to chop all of the paste ingredients with the water until smooth.)
• Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Add the curry paste and fry for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the water has evaporated and the shallots have softened and are starting to colour.
• Pour the fish stock and fish sauce into the pan and stir in the sugar, potatoes and red pepper. Bring to the boil, then cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are almost tender.
• Add the monkfish, sugarsnap peas and coconut milk, then cover again and cook gently for 5 minutes or until the fish will flake easily. Remove from the heat, stir in the lime juice and scatter over the coriander. Serve hot.

Some more ideas

• To make a speedy Thai prawn curry, fry the shallots and garlic in the oil until softened, then pour in the fish stock, fish sauce and sugar. Add 2–3 tbsp ready-made green curry paste from a jar (take care as some brands can be quite fiery) and stir well. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the sugarsnap peas and cook for 3 minutes, then add 200 g (7 oz) peeled raw tiger prawns. Cook for 1–2 minutes or until the prawns turn from grey to pink. Add the lime juice and 4 tbsp chopped fresh basil, and serve. * Use small fresh asparagus tips in place of the sugarsnap peas.

Plus points

• Monkfish, like other white fish, is low in fat and therefore fits well into a healthy diet, particularly when used in recipes with other low-fat ingredients. * Shallots tend to be milder and more subtle in flavour than onions. Like onions they contain some vitamin C and B vitamins. * Fresh coconut milk is a popular drink in many parts of the world and a key ingredient in Caribbean and Asian cooking. The canned version is high in saturated fat, but lower-fat coconut milk is now available.