Lemon Chicken must be on everyone’s list for a take-away! Tangy and sweet at the same time, it works in perfect tandem with a simple egg fried rice, which handily uses the egg yolks not required in the batter! This Singapore version is very simple, but be aware that not all plum sauces are the same. We like the Lee Kum Kee brand - it is salty, sweet AND sour, whereas some of the others are just sweet! This is why you will need to taste the sauce before serving and possibly increase the lemon or add salt. serve 2-3

For the chicken

3 chicken breasts, each cut into 2-3 flat slices
3 egg whites, gently beaten with a fork
2 tbsp cornflour
oil for frying, or you can use an airfryer

For the sauce

1 shallot, or half a small onion, very finely sliced
1 tbsp oil
2 lemons
3 tbsp plum sauce (see above)
1 tsp grated ginger
125 ml water

Make the sauce by heating 1 tbsp oil in a pan and gently frying the onion until very soft.
Add the juice of 1 lemon, the water, plum sauce and ginger, and cook gently for about 20 minutes. The sauce should thicken.
Taste the sauce and add more lemon juice, or possibly some thin slices of lemon (this gives some of the tang from the rind), and salt to taste (you probably won’t need this with the Lee Kum Kee plum sauce). Set aside.
Mix the egg whites with the cornflour and coat the chicken pieces.
Add about 5 cm oil to a pan or wok, and once it is hot (drip some batter into the oil, and once it rises to the surface and goes pale brown) you can cook the chicken in about 3 batches. Place the first pieces in a warm oven whilst you cook the rest.
Slice the chicken and drizzle over the sauce before serving, adding a few thin slices of lemon as garnish.
Beat the egg yolks with another whole egg and gently fry to make an omelette. Stir this into warm rice with some peas and serve with the chicken.