Green curry is usually built on two things that don’t exist in a plant-based kitchen: fish sauce and shrimp paste, both doing the quiet work of giving the dish its backbone.

This version from ALIVE!, the vegan restaurant at The Farm at San Benito, rebuilds that backbone from scratch – kombu dashi for the savoury depth, cashews blended into the sauce for body, and a vegan fish sauce (usually fermented soy or seaweed-based) standing in for the real thing without losing the punch.

What makes it work is the same balance that makes any good Thai curry work: the heat of red chilli and green curry paste against the sweetness of muscovado sugar, the citrus lift of kaffir lime leaves cutting through rich coconut milk, and sweet basil bringing the whole thing back down to something herbal and clean. Courgette, mushrooms and bell peppers keep it textured rather than just saucy, and a scattering of Thai basil at the end does what fresh herbs always do to a finished curry: wake it back up.

Please note, the vegetarian claim depends on using a plant-based dashi – traditional dashi is bonito-based. Swap in kombu or vegetable dashi to keep this fully vegetarian.

Serves 4-6

FOR THE CURRY

1 cup vegan dashi (kombu or vegetable-based)
1⁄4 cup cashews, soaked
4 tbsp green curry paste
2 tbsp muscovado sugar
3 tbsp vegan fish sauce
2 kaffir lime leaves
2 cups of coconut milk
1 cup sweet basil leaves or green leeks, blanched
1 tsp sea salt
2 red chillies

FOR THE NOODLES

3 cups noodles
2 cups courgette, sliced in half-moon shapes
1 cup shiitake or button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup bell pepper, sliced
2 tbsp tamari
2 tsp sesame oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced

FOR PRESENTATION

6 Thai basil leaves

METHOD

1 For the green curry sauce, blend the cashews, muscovado sugar, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, basil or green leek, and sea salt until creamy.

2 For the vegetables, marinate the noodles in 1 tbsp tamari and 1 tsp sesame oil for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Marinate the mushrooms in 1 tbsp tamari and 1 clove garlic for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

3 To serve, warm through the courgette, mushrooms and bell peppers, and place on top of the noodles. Pour the green curry sauce over and garnish with sprigs of Thai basil.

 The Farm is a pioneer when it comes to delicious, organic, vegan cuisine and ALIVE! serves delicious, innovative vegan dishes using ingredients predominantly grown on-property, saving the transportation of food to the resort.