Vegetarian Thai curry

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

10 dry shiitake mushrooms

A.
2 cloves
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
5 black pepper corns

B.
1 teaspoon minced Thai ginger
2 tablespoons minced lemon grass
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 minced chili pepper (optional)

C.
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 potatoes,peeled and cubed
2 bell peppers, sliced
1 eggplant, cubed
1 package firm tofu, cubed

D.
4 tomatoes, cut into quarters
6 tablespoons sweetener
2 tablespoons salt
1/2 can (200 ml) coconut milk

Steps:

Soak mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes or until soft. Wash well to remove grit and squeeze out water. Trim off the stems and cut into quarters.

Combine spices from A and grind, using a coffee grinder.

Combine ingredients from B and mix well.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan, over medium-high. Sauté mushrooms until brown. Add potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers from C. Sauté until brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon oil and sauté spices from A until brown and fragrant. Next add the mixture of ingredients from B and sauté until brown.

Add tomatoes, sweetener and salt. Sauté until dry.

Add mushrooms, potatoes and enough water to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes. Add eggplant, bell peppers and tofu. Cook fro another 15 minutes, or until vegetables are done.

Add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and serve.