Green/red 'curry party' curry

Dear Ella,

I remember that evening. It was so cold! Those mushrooms saved our lives.

I wanted to tell you about a little tradition me and my colleagues hold very dearly. We call it 'curry party'. And yes, it is as simple as it sounds. We get together, somebody makes an insanely spicy thai curry which we try to eat and wash down with a lot of thai beers. It is always such a great success. Sharing the experience of peppers brings people closer together. Also I've noticed that it invites people to talk about their own spicy food experiences, usually coming from far away countries. You end up hearing the most beautiful travel-stories. Do this with people you don't know very well and you will know the most interesting things about them when the plates are empty!

Here is my recipe for thai red curry. The secret, I must admit, comes from a can. But not just any can. The small asian supermarkets at metro mabillon sell tiny cans of curry paste called

'MAESRI'. They look a little bit intimidating. Here is how to handle them.

Ingredients:

1 can of MAESRI curry paste, green or red

500 ml coconut milk

vegetables you like. I used:

chickpeas

plantains

green beans

pumpkin, in cubes

onion

red chili's (optional)

fresh coriander

oil

Salt

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a big sauce pan. When it's hot ad the onions and let them simmer for a couple minutes. When they have gotten a bit soft, add the rest of the vegetables. (If you use things like green beans or broccoli cook them before putting them in the with the other vegetables.) Let the vegetables saute for about 5 minutes. Then add curry paste. Be careful not to put in the whole tin at once (rookie mistake!!) Let the curry paste heat up and work its magic, while stirring. All of this is happening on high fire. After about a minute, add the coconut milk. Again not everything at once. Turn the heat down, and have taste. This is the moment to decide exactly how spicy you want your curry to be. Add as much coconut milk or curry paste as you want.

Serve with thai rice, cold beers and a lot fresh coriander. And invite plenty people, this will serve about 10!