Ingredients: 450g (1lb) beef fillet tail 1 stalk fresh lemon grass 2 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 3 tbsps Thai fish sauce 1 tsp cornflour 6 tbsps vegetable oil 2 medium onions, finely sliced 1 tbsp brown sug

Ingredients:

450g (1lb) beef fillet tail

1 stalk fresh lemon grass

2 red chillies, seeded and finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

3 tbsps Thai fish sauce

1 tsp cornflour

6 tbsps vegetable oil

2 medium onions, finely sliced

1 tbsp brown sugar

25g (1oz) unsalted roasted peanuts

a few green coriander sprigs for garnish

Method:

This is a delicious spicy dish to serve with rice and salad. You can use beef fillet tail for this recipe: much cheaper than fillet and just as delicious, although you could use any tender cut that's available. This quantity of beef is plenty for 3.

Discard the outer part of the lemon grass and chop very finely. Cut the beef across the grain into very thin slices. Combine in a bowl the beef, lemon grass, chillies, half of the garlic, 2 tbsps fish sauce, cornflour and black pepper to taste. Mix well with 2 tbsps of the vegetable oil, cover and set aside for 30 minutes to marinade. Crush the roasted peanuts in a mortar or coarsely grind them.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat with 2 tbsps of the oil. Add the onions and the rest of the garlic and stir-fry for 3 minutes, then remove the onions to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add the rest of the oil and when it is hot, add the beef with its marinade, 1 tbsp fish sauce and the sugar. Stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes or until the beef is cooked, then transfer to a warm serving dish. Sprinkle the onions on top of the meat and top with the peanuts and some black pepper. Garnish with coriander sprigs.