Cashew chicken

Step 1: Toss 14 oz chicken breast with 2 tbsp cornflour until every strip is lightly coated; wash the board and knife. In a cup, mix 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp Thai roasted chilli paste (nam prik pao), 1 tsp sugar and 3 tbsp water.

Step 2: Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over a low to medium heat, add 2 ⅞ oz raw unsalted cashews and stir for 3–4 minutes, until evenly golden. Lift out with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil behind.

Step 3: Add 6 dried long red chillies to the same oil and stir for 15–20 seconds, just until they darken to a deep brick red, then lift them out at once. Let them go black and the whole dish tastes bitter.

Step 4: Turn the heat to high. Lay the chicken in a single layer (in two batches if your wok is small) and fry for about 2 minutes a side, until golden and cooked through with no pink inside, 165°F (165 °F). Set aside.

Step 5: In the oil left in the wok, fry 4 cloves garlic for 20 seconds, then add 1 onion and 1 red pepper and stir-fry for 2 minutes, until the edges char but the vegetables still crunch.

Step 6: Return the chicken, pour in the sauce and toss for 1 minute, until everything is glossy and the sauce has thickened.

Step 7: Take the wok off the heat, add the cashews, chillies and 3 spring onions and toss once more. Serve straight away with 1 ⅓ lb cooked jasmine rice.