Vegetable and Sweet Corn Bake

This is a dish once again inspired by my bare fridge. It's a great way to combine small quantities of ingredients for a filling, tasty meal. The soup mix annd canned sweet corn add more flavor. Use the substitutes or simply skip - this dish is delicious with just the white (bechamel) sauce.

Ingredients
2 carrots, roughly diced
A handful of beans (10-12, chopped into cm long pieces
10 baby corn, cut into rounds
1/2 cup peas, frozen or fresh
1 onions, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can sweet corn soup (substitute with fresh sweet corn kernels)
4 tbsp bread crumbs
1 tsp chilli powder (optional)
1/2 tsp mixed dried herbs - I usually use thyme and rosemary
1 tsp olive oil (substitute with butter or any oil)

For the coating sauce:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour (maida)
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf
1/2 packet maggi creamy soup mix, chicken or veg (substitute with a stock cube or skip)
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1 tsp celery salt (substitute with ordinary salt)
1/2 tsp mixed dried herbs - I usually use thyme and rosemary

Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

Place the carrots, beans, baby corn and peas in a microwavable bowl and cook in the microwave (on high) for 4 minutes. In a wok/pan, heat oil. Saute onions and garlic for a minute. Add par-cooked vegetables and saute for a few minutes. Add the sweet corn and mix well. Turn off heat and set aside.

In another deep-bottomed pan, heat butter. I use one of those non-stick pans in which you can also use a metal spoon - it's also useful to use one with a handle. When the butter has melted, add the flour and mix. Stir on a low flame until the raw smell of the flour disappears. This usually takes 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to brown the flour-butter mixture. Take the pan off the heat. Gradually add milk, a little at a time, using a whisker to incorporate and break up any lumps. Once all the milk has been added, return the pan to the heat. Add the nutmeg, bay leaf, salt, pepper, herbs and soup mix, gently stirring with a wooden ladle constantly. If the sauce thickens too much, you can add a little water. You are aiming for a sauce of pouring consistency - not too thin or too thick. Simmer for about 5 minutes before turning off heat.

Grease a suitable baking dish with a little bit of butter(I use a borosil bake and serve dish). Put in the vegetables first, and pour the coating sauce over. Poke a spoon trough here and there to allow the sauce to go through to the bottom. Taste and adjust for seasoning. In a bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the chilli powder and mixed herbs. If you don't want a bit of bite, skip the chilli powder. Sprinkle this breadcrumb mix over the top of the vegetables and sauce. You could dot the surface with a little bit of butter. Bake at 200 degrees C for 30 minutes. Serve with dinner rolls or even regular bread with some garlic or herb butter.