Chinese Takeaway-Style Chicken Balls With Vegetable Fried Brown Rice

Rinse your brown rice, add it to a pot with plenty of cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20-25 min or until it's tender with a slight bite

Once cooked, drain, return it to the pot and keep covered until serving

Take your chicken out of the fridge, open the packet and let it air

Meanwhile, combine half your soy sauce (you'll use the rest later!) and 40ml [60ml] [80ml] very cold water in a small bowl – this is your soy stock

Add 40g [60g] [80g] flour and 3/4 of your cornflour to a separate large bowl with half your rice vinegar (you'll use the rest later!) and the soy stock

Stir it all together until fully combined with no lumps, then set aside – this is your batter

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Trim, then slice your spring onion[s]

Combine the remaining cornflour in a jug with 125ml [190ml] [250ml] cold water

Add your tomato ketchup, remaining soy sauce and remaining rice vinegar with 2 tsp [3 tsp] [4 tsp] sugar and mix it all together – this is your sweet & sour sauce

Return the reserved pot to a medium-high heat with a drizzle of vegetable oil

Once hot, add the chopped garlic to the pot with your ginger paste and garden veg mix and cook for 2-3 min or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add the cooked rice to the pot, give everything a good mix up and cook for 2-3 min further or until hot

Once hot, remove the pot from the heat and set aside (lid on) until serving – this is your vegetable fried rice

Chop your chicken into pieces

Add the chicken pieces to a bowl with a sprinkle of flour and toss until the chicken is fully coated

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a very generous drizzle of vegetable oil (enough to cover the whole base of the pan) over a high heat

Once hot, dip the floured chicken pieces into the batter and turn several times until fully coated

Add the coated chicken pieces to the pan and cook for 12-15 min, turning occasionally, or until cooked through, golden and crispy (no pink meat!) – these are your Chinese takeaway-style chicken balls

Once the chicken is nearly cooked, microwave the sweet & sour sauce for 2 min or until thickened, stirring halfway