A curative thai green curry

It's cold outside. I have a mammoth hangover from the ill advised consumption of white wine followed shortly after by sake. I need some restorative food, something to revive me and make my head a little less hollow. Enter the Thai green curry.

I think of this as the culinary equivalent of rolling around on a bed piled high with fresh laundry still warm from the tumble drier - it cannot fail to bring a smile to your face.

Thai green curry with butternut squash, aubergine and spinach

Feeds 4

400g butternut squash, cut into 1" cubes
100g green beans, chopped
300g white aubergines (or regular if you can't find white ones. They taste similar but white aubergine won't stain the sauce)
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
2 slices ginger
3 strips of lime peel
1 stalk of lemon grass, bashed all over
1 tbsp green curry paste
1 tbsp demerara sugar
the juice of half a lime
200ml vegetable stock
1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce

fresh coriander to serve

1) Take a couple of spoons of the thick coconut cream from the top of the can, and fry the curry paste until it smells fragrant and cooked. Add the squash, ginger, lime peel and juice, lemon grass, sugar, stock, fish sauce and the remaining coconut milk.

2) Simmer for 10 minutes then add the beans and aubergine, then cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Add the spinach a few minutes before the dish has cooked through.

3) Serve with fluffy white rice, a wedge of lime and scatter with chopped coriander leaves.