Vietnamese lemongrass chicken with rice

Chicken thighs caramelised with lemongrass, garlic and fish sauce until sticky and fragrant, a staple of Vietnamese home cooking. Quick enough for a weeknight and only gently spicy.

Ingredients

• 600 g Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into strips
• 3 Lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed, very finely chopped
• 0.3 Garlic, finely chopped
• 60 g Shallots, finely chopped
• 30 ml Fish sauce
• 20 g Soft brown sugar
• 2 g Ground turmeric
• 1 Fresh chillies, sliced, optional
• 20 ml Vegetable oil
• 1 Onions, cut into wedges
• 10 g Fresh coriander, chopped
• 0.5 Cucumber, sliced
• 1 Limes, cut into wedges
• 320 g Jasmine rice

Method

1. Mix the chicken with the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, half the sugar and the turmeric.
2. Rinse the rice and cook it in a lidded pan with 480ml water on the lowest heat once boiling, then rest it off the heat.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and fry the chicken over a high heat until browned all over.
4. Add the onion wedges and the rest of the sugar and keep stir-frying until the chicken is cooked through and sticky. Add the chilli at the end, or leave it out and serve it on the side.
5. Serve over rice with the cucumber, coriander and lime wedges.