A deeply healthy, utterly addictive noodle dish

SERVES 2-3 PREP AND COOK TIME 30 MINUTES

2 large chicken breasts (the best you can afford), cut into 1cm cubes juice of 1 lime

2 teaspoons gochujang (Korean chilli paste) a good whack of fish sauce

2 tiny chopped bird’s eye chillies a splash of soy sauce

FOR THE CHILLI FISH SAUCE

75ml fish sauce

4–8 bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped juice of 1 lime

FOR THE STIR-FRY

250g dried Thai rice noodles dash peanut oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 green onions (green shallots), sliced into 2.5cm pieces diagonally

1 head of broccoli (300g), cut into small florets

8 Thai or banana shallots, sliced finely 12 baby corn, halved

½ cup (50g) frozen peas

50–100ml chicken stock (a cube is fine) 3–10 bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped (depending how hot you like it) 2 teaspoons fish sauce big handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped small handful of mint leaves, chopped 1 lime, quartered

1 Put the chicken in a bowl with the lime juice and gochujang. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for an hour. Remove from the fridge 10 minutes before cooking.

2 FOR THE CHILLI FISH SAUCE Mix all the ingredients together and set aside.

3 FOR THE STIR-FRY Cook the rice noodles in a large pan of boiling water according to the packet instructions. Drain, cool under cold running water and set aside. Drain the chicken, discard the marinade, and pat the chicken dry with kitchen paper. Heat the oil in a wok until smoking, then throw in half the garlic, cook for a second, then add half the chicken and stir until browned, about 1–2 minutes. Add half of all the vegetables, but not the chillies. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds, then add half the stock and chillies. Taste, season with fish sauce and cook for a further 30 seconds to a minute, until the chicken is cooked through. Add half the herbs, mix and add half the noodles. Mix for another 30 seconds, and finish with the juice of half a lime. Repeat for the second bowl.

4 Serve with Chilli Fish Sauce.