FRIDAY night is takeaway night for many of us – but unless you’re really careful, what you order can be a bit of a threat to your waistline! So this week Simon Smith, our NHS hospital superchef, has come up with a delicious alternative which is wonderfully healthy. “You can cook it in about 20 minutes and you’ll find that not only is it healthy, it leaves you feeling good, too,” he says.

“Cooking in coconut milk adds a whole new dimension to a curry and brings out the full flavour of the fish. By the way, you don’t have to have rice with a curry – there’s plenty of fresh veg in this dish and the protein in the fish will leave you feeling satisfied. Try a curry with a side salad like they do in Thailand!”

Simon is head chef at Tameside hospital in Manchester, where the staff love his Slimpod Specials.

Fish curry in coconut milk

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sesame seed oil

1 red onion, sliced

2 red peppers, sliced

50g mangetout

50g sugar snap peas

1 courgette, cut into batons

4 fillets of white fish

600 ml coconut milk (tinned)

3 teaspoons fish sauce

juice and rind of 2 limes

4 tbsp massaman curry paste (found in most supermarkets)

Large handful coriander leaves

Basmati rice to serve four (small helpings!)

Method

Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan.

Once hot, fry the onions for 2 minutes and then add the red pepper and cook until onions have gone slightly brown.

Add the curry paste and stir to coat the pepper and onions. Season to taste.

Add the coconut milk and stir. Add the lime juice, and fish sauce, stir well.

Place the fish fillets into the sauce flesh side down, and scatter the rest of the vegetables around the pan.

Poach the fish for 5 minutes and then turn over so that the skin is facing the pan.

Cook for a further 5 minutes or until the flesh is fully cooked – flesh becomes flaky and glistens.

Serve with fresh coriander leaves and small helpings of basmati rice – leave out the rice if you’re into no-carbs or low-carbs. Try a side salad instead.

Please let Simon know what you think of this super dish by leaving a comment below. He loves reading them all!

If you would like to find out more about our Slimpod Gold weight loss programme, then follow the links at the top of the page