Thai-Style Chicken With Gingery Veg And Brown Rice

Before you start cooking, 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, then drain, return it to the pot and keep covered until serving

Boil half a kettle

Peel and roughly chop your shallot[s]

Peel and roughly chop your garlic

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

Chop your coriander finely, including the stalks, keeping the leaves and stalks separate

Add the chopped shallot, garlic, chilli (can't handle the heat? Go easy!) and coriander stalks to a pestle & mortar

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

Add a pinch of salt and grind to a paste – this is your Thai-style paste

Dissolve your creamed coconut in 150ml [200ml] [250ml] boiled water and add your soy sauce – this is your coconut stock

Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with 1/2 tbsp [3/4 tbsp] [1 tbsp] vegetable oil over a medium-high heat

Once hot, add your chicken and cook for 4-5 min on each side or until browned

(Doubled your protein? Use 2 pans!)

Once browned, add the Thai-style paste to the chicken and cook for 2-3 min further or until fragrant

Once fragrant, add the coconut stock and cook for 10-12 min or until the chicken is cooked through (no pink meat!) and the sauce has thickened

Add the juice of half your lime[s] and stir it all together – this is your Thai-style sauce

Cut the remaining lime into 1 wedge per person

Wash your shredded kale

Deseed your pepper[s] (scrape the seeds and pith out with a teaspoon) and cut into thin strips

Slice your sweet pea pods in half lengthways

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

Heat a separate, large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with 1 tbsp [1 1/2 tbsp] [2 tbsp] vegetable oil over a high heat

Once hot, remove the pan from the heat, add the shredded kale and pepper strips with a pinch of salt and return to the heat, then cook for 4-6 min or until starting to soften

Add the chopped ginger and halved sweet pea pods cook for a further 2 min or until everything is cooked with a slight bite – this is your gingery veg