Thai fried rice with prawns (Khao phat)

1. Cook the jasmine rice the day before, spread it out and chill in the fridge – cold, slightly dried rice won't stick together when fried.

2. Peel the prawns; cut the onion into thin wedges, chop the garlic finely and slice the spring onions.

3. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat, fry the garlic and onion for 1 minute, then stir-fry the prawns for 1-2 minutes until pink.

4. Push everything to the side of the wok, crack the eggs into the middle and half-scramble them, then add the rice and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, breaking up any lumps.

5. Season with the fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar and toss until every grain is hot and fragrant; finally stir in the spring onions.

6. Serve with cucumber slices and lime wedges; squeeze the lime over the rice before eating.

Tip: This is the everyday, leftover-saving one-dish meal of Thai cooking – you can make it with chicken, pork or tofu instead of prawns. Always use cold cooked rice for fried rice; freshly cooked rice goes mushy.