1 Peel onion and cut into 4, peel garlic and blend all sauce ingredients except coconut cream until you have a sort of thickly textured paste, add a tablespoon or 3 of water if necessary
2 Chop veg into bite sized pieces (or thinner if appropriate i.e. carrots/courgettes), chop chicken up too, if using
3 Heat some groundnut oil in a wok until really smoking (you may want to open a window)
4 Fry paste off for 3-5 minutes, add chicken (if using) and then a couple of minutes later veg in order of cooking time, stir fry until veg is cooked (approx 5 minutes in all)
5 Turn down heat and add coconut cream, once it is bubbling gently pop in the seafood (if using)
6 Serve in a deep bowl lined with rice, eat with chopsticks and I like it with a little something fizzy to bite back at the chili