Vegetarian Thai Curry with Butternut Squash & Broccoli Stalk

Dad made dinner tonight for us as I'm feeling a little under the weather with a bad cough.  His thinking was that a hot Thai Curry might help me breath better!

The butternut squash, broccoli and broccoli stalk work really well with the Thai flavours, and the leftover stalk has a great crunch to it and full of broccoli flavour.

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 small head of broccoli including stalk, chopped into mouthsized pieces
1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp red or green curry paste (We buy Mae Ploy brand from Asian shops which is stronger than that bought in the big UK supermarket chains.  1 tbsp produces what we consider a medium hot curry, but feel free to add or decrease this quantity)
3 kaffir lime leaves (optional - grated zest of half a lemon or lime works well)
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp sugar


Put all the ingredients, apart from the broccoli florets, into a saucepan and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes or until the butternut squash starts to get tender.  Add the broccoli florets if using and simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Serve in a bowl over thai fragrant rice, basmati rice, or noodles.