Vegan Week, Dish 6: Vegetable Curry

The coconut milk and curry paste is so wonderful together, the two ingredients alone can make this dish. That's how much I love that combination. Maybe some toasted French baguette to sop up the soup, YUM! To make it a meal, however, we'll have to add lots of vegetables. I LOVE my veggies so I may have gotten a bit carried away. Add whatever kind of vegetables you fancy. It's your dish, so make it your own.

Ingredients
4 oz can Thai red curry paste (or whatever kind you prefer)
2-13.5 oz can coconut milk
2 cups green beans
1 Idaho potato, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 small sweet onion, cut into 1/4 inch strips
Half dozen Thai eggplants, quartered
15 oz can extra small baby corn
20 oz can bamboo shoots (half), sliced into 1/4 inch strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch strips
2 cups Thai basil leaves
3 tbs soy sauce
2-4 lime leaves (optional), finely julienned
2 fresh Thai chili peppers (optional), cut in half at an angle
knuckle-size piece of ginger (optional), peeled and finely julienned

Directions
1 In a heated pot over medium-high heat, add coconut milk and curry paste and stir for 1-2 minutes.

2 Add bamboo shoots and potatoes and stir. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook about 5 minutes.
3 Add baby corns, eggplants and green beans. Cook about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4 Add bell peppers, onions and soy sauce and cook about 3-5 minutes, until crisp-tender.

5 Turn off heat and add chili peppers, lime leaves and basil leaves. Stir to incorporate.

6 Serve hot over steamed rice and garnished with strips of ginger.