Sometimes when you run out of ideas on what to cook, you fall back on some basics with a hint of the foods that you’ve had while on holiday.

This dish is adapted from a visit some years back to Hanoi, Vietnam. What we had for lunch in a very local restaurant was chicken fried with lemongrass and pork.

I normally slice the lemongrass stalk very thinly so that the lemongrass flavour is imbued into the dish. It also means you consume the lemongrass with the other ingredients and it was something that my daughter did not enjoy.

As such, this version, which I personally find not as lemongrassy uses the lemongrass cut into portions.

Ingredients: serves 3-4

300g lean pork

1 stalk lemon grass, sliced thin

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tomato, sliced

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

salt

Method:

• Slice the pork as thinly as you are able to.
• Marinade the pork with the soy sauce and fish sauce for at least 15 minutes.
• Fry the lemon grass & garlic in some oil.
• Add the tomato when you can smell the garlic cooking. Fry for a little bit so the tomato loses it juice.
• Add the pork and the rest of the marinade. Fry till the pork is cooked.
• Add the sugar (to balance off the acidity of the tomato & fish sauce) and salt.
• Leave to cook for a little bit, till you see some juice in the dish.
• Remove from heat & serve with white rice or wholegrains.