Chicken Tom Kha Soup With Fragrant Rice

Take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air and boil a full kettle

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick with a matching lid), with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat and once hot, add your chicken thighs and cook for 8-9 min, turning once halfway until browned

Once done, transfer to a plate and reserve the pan

Whilst the chicken is cooking, peel and finely slice your brown onion[s]

Bash your lemongrass with a rolling pin, then remove the tough outer layers and set aside for later

Chop the softer inner core[s] finely

Peel (scrape the skin off with a teaspoon) and finely chop (or grate) your ginger

Add your white long grain rice, tough outer lemongrass layers and 225ml [300ml] [450ml] cold water to a pot with a lid and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to very low and cook, covered, for 12-15 min or until all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked

Once done, remove from the heat and set aside (lid on) to steam until serving – this is your fragrant rice

Return the reserved pan to a medium heat with the sliced onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 4-5 min or until beginning to soften

Slice your white cup mushrooms finely, then chop the creamed coconut roughly (if required!)

Dissolve your chicken stock mix, sriracha (can't handle the heat? Go easy!), 1/2 tsp [3/4 tsp] [1 tsp] sugar and the chopped creamed coconut in 600ml [900ml] [1.2L] boiled water – this is your coconut stock

Once the onion has softened, add the chopped lemongrass inner core, chopped ginger, sliced mushrooms and your chilli flakes (not a fan of spice? Just add a little!) to the pan and cook for 1 min

Add the coconut stock with the browned chicken thighs and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, for 10 min or until the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!)

Meanwhile, pick your coriander leaves from their stalks

Chop the coriander stalks finely

Transfer the cooked chicken thighs to a clean board and shred apart using two forks – this technique is known as 'pulling'

Return the pulled chicken to the pan with the juice of half your lime[s] and a pinch of salt

Give everything a good stir – this is your chicken tom kha soup

Cut the remaining lime into 1 wedge per person

Discard the outer lemongrass layers from the fragrant rice