Fiery Xi'an-Inspired Salt & Pepper Fried Chicken Thigh & Brown Rice

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

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

Heat a large dry pan over a medium heat

Once hot, add your cumin seeds

Cook for 1-2 min or until fragrant

Tip: Watch them like a hawk to make sure they don't burn!

Once fragrant, transfer the toasted cumin to a pestle & mortar and reserve the pan

Add your salt & chilli pepper seasoning and umami seasoning to the pestle & mortar and bash into a fine powder – this is your Xi'an-inspired spice mix

Tip: Don't have a pestle & mortar? Pulse in a food processor!

Add your cornflour to a plate with your Xi'an-inspired spice mix and a pinch of sugar and mix until fully combined

Press your chicken firmly into the spiced cornflour until evenly coated all over

Return the reserved pan to a medium-high heat with a very generous drizzle of vegetable oil (enough to cover the base of the pan)

Once hot, add the coated chicken and cook for 9-10 min each side or until golden, crispy and cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your Xi'an-inspired fried chicken (Tip: Cooking for 5? Use 2 pans!)

Tip: Watch the chicken while it's cooking and reduce the heat slightly if the coating is getting too dark before it's cooked through

Peel and finely chop (or grate) your garlic

Cut your red chilli[es] in half lengthways, deseed (scrape the seeds out with a teaspoon) and chop finely

Bash your cucumber with a rolling pin and chop it into small, bite-sized pieces – this is your smashed cucumber

Tip: Bash the cucumber in its bag to avoid mess. By bruising the cucumber, the water is drawn out more easily!

Combine your ketjap manis with half your rice vinegar (you'll use the rest later!), half the chopped chilli (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) and chopped garlic in a small bowl

Add 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] cold water and stir it together – this is your spicy dipping sauce

Add the bashed cucumber to a separate bowl with the remaining rice vinegar, remaining chopped chilli (not a fan of spice? Just add a little!) and a drizzle of vegetable oil and give everything a good mix up – this is your spicy cucumber salad