The piquant flavours of this quick-as-a-flash Thai curry are perfectly complemented by the crisp, refreshing bit of a glass of chilled Riesling.

Ingredients

• 2 stalks lemon grass
• 2cm piece ginger
• 300 gram piece pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 mushrooms, quartered
• 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
• 150 gram can coconut milk or cream
• 1¼ cups chicken stock
• 150 grams green prawns
• 150 grams scallops
• 3 spring onions, trimmed
• a few good dashes of Ketjap Manis
• a few leaves of coriander, basil and mint

Method

1. Trim the green ends from the lemon grass stalks, retaining the white ends. Peel the ginger. Cut both into very fine shreds.
2. Peel the pumpkin and remove any seeds. Slice finely.
3. Heat the olive oil in a deep heat-proof casserole or saucepan and cook the lemon grass, ginger, pumpkin and mushrooms over a moderate heat for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
4. Add the Thai curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the coconut milk or craem and stock and heat. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. De-vein the prawns and clean the scallops. Add them to the sauce and simmer gently for 5 minutes until just cooked through. Season with spring onions, salt and pepper and the Ketjap Manis. Toss in the herb leaves just before serving. Serve with poppadoms, and jasmine rice cooked with a Kaffir lime leaf or a slice of lemon rind.

Cooks Tips

To cook poppadums in the microwave, place about three on the turn table. Cook on high power for about 35 seconds to one minute until the poppadums are crispy and puffed up. Keep an eye on them as they will burn quickly. I prefer them cooked this way as they avoid being cooked with any oil and can be done in a few moments.