Speedy Vietnamese Lemongrass Stir Fry

Meanwhile, chop your spring onion widthways into very thin (less than ½cm) discs and separate the white and green parts. Chop the green beans widthways into 3cm pieces. Remove the core from the pepper and chop it into (roughly) 2cm chunks. Finely chop the red chilli and peel and finely chop the garlic.

Chop the tough base off the lemongrass and peel a couple of the outer layers. Take the bit in the middle and whack it with something heavy to break it up a bit (and release that awesome lemony smell). Very, very finely chop it for later. Tip: It's really important you chop, chop, chop the lemongrass to make sure it cooks perfectly.

Now slice the beef widthways into wafer thin strips. Toss the strips in a bowl together with ¼ tsp salt, a good pinch of black pepper and the cornflour.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick frying pan on high heat. Once the oil is nice and hot, gently place the beef strips into the pan and brown them off for 2 mins. Remove from the pan and keep to the side.

In the (now empty) frying pan, heat 2 tsp of oil and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the garlic, lemongrass, chilli and the whites of the spring onions and cook for 2 mins. Now add the beans and red pepper, and cook for 5 mins (tossing them constantly).

Throw in the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar (f you have some) and 3 tbsp of water together with the beef and toss the pan for another 2 mins.