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There’s something very satisfying about being able to whip up a restaurant-quality Thai curry at home. The key is getting the right balance of saltiness, sweetness, sourness, and heat. To achieve this balance we typically use a combination of ingredients including sugar (palm sugar is traditional, but we usually use brown sugar for convenience), lemon or lime juice, fish sauce, and Thai curry paste (which is made from fresh chili and various spices) .

You can make your own curry paste from scratch, but years ago my sister-in-law Vivian, who’s Chinese-Malaysian, introduced me to a range of authentic pre-made curry pastes that I’ve used in my cooking ever since. In fact it was her chicken curry — which was made using red curry paste — that got me hooked on Asian food in the first place.

So if you’ve got the time and inclination to make your own curry paste, go for it. But the results you’ll get from a good quality pre-made curry paste can be almost as good — with a lot less effort. But here’s a tip; when you’re buying pre-made Thai curry paste, check to make sure it’s made in Thailand. If it is, there’s a very good chance it will be made with authentic ingredients. Our absolute favorite brand is Mae Ploy.

For this curry, we used green curry paste (which is green simply because the main ingredient is green chili), and three of our favorite green vegetables: peas, zucchini and green beans. Fresh garlic, onion and cilantro add extra depth of flavor, and the succulent shrimp not only complement the taste of this curry, they also add a wonderful color contrast.

Thai Green Curry with Shrimp & Vegetables

Serves 2

2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
1 onion - finely chopped
3 teaspoons Thai green curry paste
2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 zucchini - sliced into ½ inch rounds
16 green beans - halved
1 cup jasmine rice
1/3 cup frozen green peas - thawed
20 uncooked shrimp - peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander), and extra for garnish

HEAT the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. ADD the curry paste and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. ADD the coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil. ADD the zucchini and green beans, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered for 12 minutes. WHILE the curry simmers, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. STIR in the rice, and keep stirring until the water returns to a boil. COVER the pot with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to very low, and simmer gently for 15 minutes. ADD the peas and shrimp to the curry and simmer, uncovered, for another 4 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. GARNISH with the reserved cilantro and serve with the jasmine rice.

This recipe shows that you don’t have to have every spice under the sun to cook a good Indian curry. Nor do you need to be a connoisseur of Indian cuisine. Contrary to popular belief, making an authentic curry is actually pretty easy, especially if you keep the ingredients simple and use a few shortcuts.

For instance, I adore using freshly ground spices but don’t always have them on hand, so I keep a basic stock of ground spices at the ready. For this curry, apart from essentials like cumin, coriander and chili, I used the classic Indian spice mix garam masala, a flavorful blend of aromatic spices which added a warmness and slight sweetness to the dish.

In addition to the spices, I simply added canned tomatoes and coconut milk, as well as spinach, onion and garlic bought at a nearby farmer’s produce stall, plus a couple of fresh fish fillets procured from our local fishmonger, and a lemon from our own tree. Regional and seasonal food at its best!

Fish, Spinach and Tomato Curry

Serves 2

• 2 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
• 1 onion - finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 cup chopped canned tomatoes
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups washed, drained and roughly chopped fresh spinach
• 2 x 6 oz (180g) firm white fish fillets (such as snapper, cod or haddock)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

HEAT the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. ADD the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then add the cumin, coriander and chili and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. ADD the tomatoes, coconut milk, garam masala and salt and bring to a boil. REDUCE the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. WHILE the curry simmers, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. STIR in the rice and keep stirring until the water returns to a boil. COVER the pot with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to very low, and simmer the rice gently for 15 minutes. ADD the spinach to the curry and cook, covered, for 4 minutes, then add the fish and spoon the sauce over the fillets. COVER with a lid, and simmer for another 7 minutes. STIR in the lemon juice and serve on a bed of the rice.