Thai Fish Curry with Mango

You won't believe how utterly simple and easy this is, and yet it tastes exotic and wonderful and, what's more, it can all be prepared well in advance and the fish added about 10 minutes before you want to eat it. You can also make this using 1 lb 8 oz (700 g) of raw, peeled tiger prawns, added in place of the fish.

Serves 4 generously

Ingredients:

2 lb (900 g) firm fish fillet (Greenland halibut, cod or haddock, for example), skinned and chopped into 1½ inch (4 cm) chunks
1 large mango, peeled and cut into ¾ inch (2 cm) pieces
2 x 14 fl oz (400 ml) tins coconut milk

For the curry paste:

2 medium red chillies, halved and deseeded
grated zest and juice 1 lime
2 stems lemon grass, roughly chopped
1 inch (2.5 cm) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

To garnish:

3 level tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves

How to cook:

Begin by emptying the coconut milk into the pan or wok and stir while you bring it up to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the fat separates from the solids. This will take 20 minutes or so, and you will have about 1 pint (570 ml) left. Now make the curry paste, and all you do is put everything in a food processor or blender and whiz until you have a rather coarse, rough-looking paste and everything is perfectly blended.

Now, over a medium heat, add the curry paste and fish to the pan and, once it has reached simmering point, give it 4 minutes. Finally, add the mango and cook for a further 2 minutes. Serve the curry with the coriander sprinkled over and Thai fragrant rice as an accompaniment. To prepare the curry in advance, make everything up, keeping the paste covered in the fridge, then, 10 minutes before you want to serve, bring the coconut milk back up to the boil, then add the paste, fish and mango as above.

You will also need a deep frying pan with a diameter of 10 inches (25.5 cm),

or a wok.