Mc & Sons' Chicken Khao Soi Curry

Boil a full kettle

Peel and roughly chop the garlic

Bash the lemongrass with a rolling pin

Remove the tough outer layer[s] of the lemongrass and chop the softer inner core roughly

Peel and roughly chop 1 [2] red onion[s]

Add the chopped onion, garlic and lemongrass to a food processor with the chilli flakes (can't handle the heat? Go easy!), ground coriander, ground turmeric, ground cinnamon and a generous pinch of salt and pepper

Add 2 tbsp [4 tbsp] vegetable oil and 1 tbsp [2 tbsp] cold water and blitz into a smooth paste – this is your Khao Soi curry paste

Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 160°C (fan)/ Gas 4

Cut the chicken breasts into large, bite-sized pieces

Peel and finely slice the remaining red onion[s]

Peel and finely slice the shallot[s]

Add the sliced shallot to a small bowl and squeeze over the juice of 1/2 [1] lime and set aside to pickle – this is your pickled shallot

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of vegetable oil over a medium heat

Once hot, add the sliced red onion and chopped chicken and cook for 2-3 min or until the onion has started to soften

Once the onion has started to soften, add the Khao Soi curry paste and cook for 2-3 min or until fragrant

Meanwhile, remove the coconut cream from the sachet[s] and chop it roughly (if required!)

Dissolve the chopped coconut cream in 350ml [600ml] boiled water, then add the fish sauce and 2 tsp [4 tsp] sugar – this is your coconut stock

Once fragrant, add the coconut stock to the pan and cook for 10-12 min or until the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!) – this is your chicken Khao Soi curry

While the chicken is cooking, reboil a kettle

Add the fine egg noodles to a large bowl, cover them with boiled water and stir for 10 secs to separate the noodles then set aside to soak

After 1 min, remove approx. 1/4 of the noodles and transfer them to kitchen paper to dry – these are your partly soaked noodles

After 3 min further, drain the remaining soaked noodles, and set aside until serving

Add the partly soaked noodles to a baking tray with a drizzle of vegetable oil and give everything a good mix up

Put the tray in the oven for 5-6 min or until golden and crispy – these are your crispy noodles

Meanwhile, trim, then slice the spring onion[s] finely

Cut the remaining lime into wedges