Make this easy-to-fix dish a little hotter by adding more fresh ginger.

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 piece lemon grass ( or the rind of 1/2 lemon)
1/2 in piece of fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 ounces lean chicken, thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
4 scallions, chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
4 ounces thin green beans
2 tablespoons oyster souce
pinch sugar
salt and black pepper
1/4 cup salted peanuts, lightly crushed, cilantro leaves, to garnish cooked
rice, to serve

1. Thinly slice the lemon grass or lemon rind. Peel and chop the ginger and garlic. Heat the oil
in a frying pan over a high heat. Add the lemon grass or lemon rind, ginger and garlic, and stir-fry
for 30 second, or until brown.

2. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Then add the vegetables and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are almost cooked.

3. Finally stir in the oyster sauce, sugar and seasoning to taste and stir-fry for another minute to mix well. Serve immediately, sprinkled woth the peanuts and cilantro leaves and accopanied with rice.

Singapore hot and sour pineapple prawn broth

This simple Nonya dish is served as an appetite enhancer because of its hot and sour flavour. It is also popular as an accompaniment to plain rice or noodles. In some restaurants, the broth is presented in a hollowed-out pineapple, halved lengthways.

    Serves four

• 30ml/2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 15-30ml/1-2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 15ml/1 tbsp sugar
• 450g/1lb fresh prawn(shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 4 thick fresh pineapple slices, cored and cut into bitesize chunks
• salt and ground black pepper
• fresh coriander (cilantro) and mint leaves, to garnish
• steamed rice or plain noodles, to serve

For the spice paste

• 4 shallots, chopped
• 4 red chillies, chopped
• 25/1oz fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 lemon grass stalk, trimmed and chopped
• 5ml/1 tbsp shrimp paste

 1. Using mortar and pestle or a food processor, grind the shalots, chilies, ginger and lemon grass to   paste. Add the shrimp paste and mix well.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy pan. Stir in the spice paste and fry until fragrant. Stir in the tamarind paste and the sugar, then pour in 1.2 litres/2 pints/ 5 cups water. Mix well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1o minutes. Season the broth with salt and pepper.

3. Add the prawns and the pineapple to the broth and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until the prawns are cooked. Using a slotted spoon, lift the prawns and the pineapple out of the broth and divide them among four warmed bowls. Ladle over some of the broth and garnish with coriander and mint leaves. The remaining broth can be served separately as a drink, or spooned over steamed rice or plain noodles, if they are accompanying this dish.

BLACKBERRY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES with apple butter

Apples and blackberries are great together, and here a buttery apple sauce tops blackberry-dotted pancakes. Use blueberries or raspberries as an alternative.

Apple Sauce

• 1 lb. tart apple
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• a pinch of ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon butter

Pancake

• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoon fine cornmeal
• 3 tablespoon sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 cup small blackberries, plus extra to serve
• oil, for greasing
• light cream, to serve

To make the apple butter, peel core, and dice the apples. Put in a saucepan with the sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water.

Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until softened. Mash with a fork, add the butter and heat through, uncovered, until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat, set aside, and let cool.

To make the pancakes, sift the flour and baking soda into a bowl and stir in the cornmeal and sugar. Put the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter in a second bowl and beat until mixed. Stir the mixture into the dry ingredients to form a smooth, thick batter.

Fold in the blackberries.

Heat a heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot, brush lightly with oil, and pour in a little of the batter to form a small pancake. Cook for 2 minutes until bubbles appear over the surface. Turn the pancake over and cook for another 1 minute until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and keep the cooked pancakes warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining batter in batches.

Serve the pancakes warm, topped with a spoonful of apple butter, extra blackberries, and a little cream.