Wok-Tossed Lime And Chilli Chicken

Ingredients

• 3cm fresh ginger, peeled
• 2 sticks of lemongrass, trimmed
• 4 hot red chillies, seeded
• 4 fat cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp. veg or groundnut oil
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tbsp. toasted ground rice (rice – see below)
• juice of one lime
• 1 mild red chilli, sliced
• big handful basil leaves or Thai basil

Method

1. Toast 2 tbsp. of uncooked rice. Keep shaking the pan, so it doesn’t catch and burn. Cool and then whizz in a processor to a powder.
2. Mince the ginger, lemongrass, chillies and garlic with a touch of salt in a processor to make a paste.
3. Stir-fry the paste in half the oil over a high heat for about a minute.
4. Briefly pulse the chicken breasts in the processor until coarse-minced, but not mushed.
5. Tip the chicken into the wok with the remaining oil, toss through and fry until it browns.
6. Add the sugar and fish sauce. Fry until things look sticky and caramelised.
7. Remove from the heat and add the rice, lime juice, chilli and basil.