Thai-Style Chicken & Veggie Bake

_INGREDIENTS:

• 180g uncooked rice
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• ½ head broccoli, cut into florets (stalk peeled and finely chopped)
• 100g green beans, topped, tailed and halved
• 200g kumara, peeled and cubed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp minced ginger
• 2 Tbsp red or green Thai curry paste
• 1 tsp paprika
• 200ml chicken stock
• 1 tin (400ml) coconut milk
• Salt and black pepper
• 500g chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces — or 1 tin (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup fresh basil, to serve
• Squeeze of lime juice, to serve

_{INSTRUCTIONS:}

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Slice the red pepper. Cut the broccoli into florets and finely chop the peeled stalk. Trim and halve the green beans. Peel and cube the kumara. If using chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces.
3. Spread the uncooked rice evenly across the base of a large ovenproof dish. Layer over the broccoli, kumara, green beans and red pepper. Add the garlic, ginger, curry paste and paprika, then pour over the chicken stock and coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper and stir everything together well.
4. Add the chicken pieces or chickpeas and mix through evenly.
5. Cover tightly with foil or a lid and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the cover, stir well, and return to the oven uncovered for a further 10–15 minutes, until the rice is tender, the kumara is soft, and most of the liquid has absorbed.
6. Scatter over fresh basil and a squeeze of lime juice before serving. Serve straight away, or divide into containers and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat until piping hot.