After making Ped Pad Prik Gaeng the other day, we had some Asian vegetables and curry paste left over. And as we fancied a pasta bake, we improvised a bit.

As we had run out of coconut milk, we used ordinary cow’s milk instead. We found out that, this way, it needed a little more curry paste and also a bit more sugar.

We had also run out of lime, so we used lemon juice concentrate instead. Please be aware that it is important to measure this out very carefully. Just one or two small squirts will do.

To ensure it really is a vegetarian dish, you need to bear in mind that not all curry pastes are automatically vegan. For example, traditional Thai varieties often contain shrimp paste. So, please do shop with care.

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What we need:

• 250g (8¾oz) pasta
• 350ml (¾pt) milk (or coconut milk to go vegan)
• 2½ tbsp red curry paste (1½tbsp if you use coconut milk)
• 100g (3½oz) grated mozzarella (or vegan cheese)
• 225ml (½pt) vegetable stock
• Asian vegetable mix
• Lemon juice concentrate
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp basil
• Sugar
• Salt
• Breadcrumbs
• Olive oil

How to do it:

• Prepare the vegetable stock.
• Heat some oil in a frying pan, briefly sauté the garlic and the curry paste.
• Deglaze with the milk and the vegetable stock.
• Mix everything well and leave it to simmer for 10 minutes.
• Carefully add 1-2 squirts of lemon juice concentrate.
• Season to taste with salt and sugar.
• Add the basil.
• Add an appropriate amount of the Asian vegetable mix.
• Spread the uncooked pasta in a baking dish and pour the sauce.
• Sprinkle the grated cheese and a few breadcrumbs on top.
• Put the dish into the preheated oven and bake it for 30 minutes at 200°C (390°C).