One of my favorite meatless meals is a dish I ate when traveling in Malaysia: stirfried vegetables in coconut curry sauce. I’ve made this dish often over the years, substituting vegetables here and there, but the recipe is basically the same every time and always a winner!

It’s perfect when served over either cooked rice or noodles.

Stir-fried Vegetables with Lemongrass and Coconut Curry

• 2 stalks lemongrass

• 2 baby bok choy

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 8 asparagus spears, cut into bite size pieces

• 2 medium carrots, shredded

• 1 small red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces

• 3 tablespoons water

• 1 large shallot, chopped

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 small chili pepper deseeded and chopped

• 1 cup bean sprouts

• 1 teaspoon curry powder

• 2 pinches ground cinnamon

• 1/2 cup coconut milk

• 1/4 cup vegetable stock

• salt to taste

• cooked rice

Remove the soft, inner core from the lemongrass bulbs and chop them into small pieces. Set aside. (Use the leaves for other purposes). Wash each bok choy leaf, snapping it off the stem to make individual pieces. Dry the leaves and set them aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a wok or stirfry pan over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy leaves, asparagus, carrots and bell pepper and stirfry for one minute. Add the water, cover the pan and cook for about 2 minutes or until crispy and tender. Dish out the vegetables and set them aside. Discard any pan liquid. Heat the remaining tablespoon vegetable oil in the pan. Add the shallot, ginger, garlic, chili pepper and lemongrass and stirfry briefly. Return the vegetables to the pan. Add the bean sprouts and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Sprinkle the ingredients with curry powder and cinnamon and toss. Pour in the coconut milk and vegetable stock. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Bring the ingredients to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour the vegetables and sauce over the rice and serve.

Makes 4 servings