Vietnamese delights

Vietnamese lamb shanks with sweet potatoes
Ingredients
2 tbsp groundnut oil
4 lamb shanks, about 350g 
2 onions, halved and cut into half moons
2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger                                                                                                                                       
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 red chillies, both deseeded, one chopped and one thinly sliced
1 tbsp sugar, plus 1 tsp
2 lemon grass stalks, tough outer leaves removed, then bruised 
1 lamb stock
1½ tbsp tomato purée
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into big chunks
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 limes  for juice
Big handful mint leaves
Handful basil leaves 
Method:
Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole, season the shanks, then brown them 2 at a time on all sides, adding the remaining oil for the second batch. Remove the lamb and add the onions. Fry them quite briskly, about 30 secs, add the ginger, garlic and chopped chilli, then turn the heat down and cook for 1 min. Add 1 tbsp sugar, stir, then add the star anise, lemongrass, stock, purée and seasoning. Bring to the boil. Cover and cook in the oven for 1½ hrs, then add the sweet potatoes and cook for 1 hr more. The lamb should be completely tender and almost falling off the bones. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice and 1 tsp sugar to just lift the flavour, then scatter with the mint, basil and the sliced chilli to serve.

Vietnamese caramel trout
Ingredients
50g golden caster sugar
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 large piece of ginger, finely sliced
2 rainbow trout fillets or betki fish
2 heads bok choi, halved
Juice ½ lemon
coriander sprigs
Steamed rice, to serve
Method:
Put the sugar in a large shallow pan, along with a small splash of water. Heat gently, swirling the pan, until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and bubble the syrup until it turns a dark amber colour. Add the fish sauce, most of the chilli and ginger, then splash in 1 tbsp water to dilute. Boil again until syrupy, then add the fish fillets, skin-side down, and the bok choi, cut-side down.
Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 4-5 mins until the fish is cooked and the bok choi has wilted. Turn off the heat, squeeze over the lemon and scatter with the remaining chilli, ginger and the coriander sprigs. Serve with rice.

Vietnamese chicken baguettes
Ingredients
1 small chicken breast
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
½ tsp golden caster sugar
Juice ½ lime
½ small carrot, peeled and grated
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
2½cm/1in piece cucumber, deseeded and sliced
½ red chilli, thinly sliced into rounds
1 sandwich baguette
3-4 Little Gem lettuce leaves, washed
1-2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
Method:
Put the chicken breast between 2 pieces of cling film and bash with a rolling pin to about 1cm thick. Heat a griddle pan until hot. Rub the chicken with the oil, cook for 2-3 mins per side, or until cooked through. Set aside to cool.
Mix together the rice vinegar, sugar and lime juice, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the carrot, spring onions, cucumber and chilli.
Split a sandwich baguette along the top. Stuff with the Little Gem leaves and shred the chicken on top. Pile on the carrot mixture and wrap or place in a plastic box. Put the sweet chilli sauce in a small portable pot and when it's time for lunch, pour over the sauce just before tucking in.