Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

Remove the dry outer layer of the lemongrass stalk. Finely slice a 10/15/20 cm piece of the lemongrass. Peel and mince the garlic. In a small bowl or glass, combine the lemongrass, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, vegetable oil and a pinch of salt. Mix well. This is your glaze.

Heat a pan over a medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil. Fry the chicken breasts with a pinch of salt for 4-5 min on each side. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the glaze. Cook for a final 2-3 min or until the glaze has reduced. Remove the pan from the heat and keep covered with a lid. 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable oil and honey. Juice the limes thoroughly. Season the sauce with the lime juice and chilli flakes (spicy!). Add the sesame seeds and a pinch of salt. Mix well. This is your dressing.

Meanwhile, peel the carrots and cut them into thin matchsticks. Rinse and dry the bean sprouts. Finely slice the chilli. Pick the coriander and mint leaves.

Meanwhile, boil a kettle. Pour the boiling water over the noodles and cover for 3 min. Drain the noodles in a colander and immediately divide them among shallow bowls.

Slice the chicken and top the noodles with it. Drizzle with the glaze from the pan. Add the carrots, bean sprouts, chilli (spicy!), coriander, mint and peanuts. Drizzle with the sesame dressing and serve immediately.