Larb

(allow one chick­en breast fil­let per per­son; this serves four)

zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime
5 gar­lic cloves
1‑inch piece of gin­ger­root, peeled
1 tbsp chilli-infused olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
4 chick­en breast fil­lets, skinless
50 ml (about 3 1.2 tbsps) Thai fish sauce
1 red onion, fine­ly chopped
3 tbsps lime juice
hand­ful each, rough­ly chopped: corian­der, mint, basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped mixed nuts or pinenuts
1 head but­ter let­tuce or 2 heads Baby Gem let­tuce, sep­a­rat­ed into leaves
1 cucum­ber, seed­ed and cut into strips lengthwise

Throw the zest, gar­lic and gin­ger in the Mag­im­ix and whizz until very fine­ly blitzed. Scoop it all out with a spat­u­la and then throw in the chick­en and whizz it until fine­ly chopped, but not mush. I don’t know if it could become mush, but don’t let it!

In a large skil­let or wok, heat the oils and siz­zle the cit­rus mix­ture briefly, then add the chick­en. Fry the chick­en, con­stant­ly chop­ping and sep­a­rat­ing it into tiny bits, for 4 min­utes, then add the fish sauce. Turn down the heat and let the chick­en bub­ble for a few more min­utes, then add the chopped red onion and bub­ble just briefly, about a minute. Remove to a serv­ing bowl and chill until it’s at the tem­per­a­ture you like: it’s love­ly warm, we found, but very refresh­ing cold.

Just before you’re ready to eat, pour in the lime juice and sprin­kle over the herbs and nuts, and toss. Serve in the let­tuce leaves with the cucum­ber strips: it’s messy!