Fragrant Thai Green Beef Curry

Add the lemongrass, basmati rice and 300ml [600ml] cold water to a pot with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for 10-15 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked

Once cooked, remove from the heat and keep covered until serving

Meanwhile, boil half a kettle

Peel and finely chop the shallot[s]

Chop the green beans into bite-sized pieces

Peel the ginger and garlic

Slice the red chilli[es] in half and scrape the seeds out with a spoon

Chop the coriander roughly, reserving some leaves for garnish

Add the ginger, garlic, half of the red chilli (save the rest for later) and chopped coriander to a food processor with 2 tbsp [4 tbsp] water and blitz until smooth – this is your Thai green curry paste

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a high heat

Once hot, add the shallot with a pinch of salt and cook for 1 min

Once the shallot has softened, add the beef strips and cook for 2-3 min or until starting to brown

Once browned, add the Thai green curry paste to the pan with the beef and cook for 2 min or until fragrant

Meanwhile, dissolve the coconut cream in 150ml [300ml] boiled water, add the fish sauce with the lime leaves, the juice of 1/2 [1] lime and 1 tsp [2 tsp] sugar – this is your fragrant stock

Add the chopped green beans and fragrant stock to the pan and cook for 4 min or until the beef is cooked through and the sauce has thickened

Tip: Add an extra splash of water if the sauce thickens too quickly!

While the beef is cooking, cut the remaining lime into wedges

Slice the remaining chilli finely