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Hot and sour soup is a lot more appetising than the title suggests. It is a delicious noodle soup combining the heat of chillies, the slight sourness of rice wine vinegar with the salt and richness of soy sauce.

Dried egg noodles are often sold in packs containing several separate blocks or layers, usually a portion of 50g to 75g. Use one portion for the soup.

Oyster sauce is a wonderful savoury sauce which goes especially well with beef.

Egg fried rice is almost a stereotype of the Chinese takeaway. Home made fried rice is surprisingly quick and easy to make, and can be a lot fresher and lighter than the resturant alternative.

I usually use Basmati rice, as it is fragrant and flavorsome, but any long grained rice can be used. The rice should ideally be cooked a few hours in advance, so that it is cold when you start to fry it. Warm rice has a lot of excess moisture, which stops it frying properly. Keep the cooked rice refridgerated until it is needed.

Boiled rice is a quick and simple side dish for many different meals. Some people have difficulty with it (I certainly did), but it is easy to prepare, if you follow a few basic rules.

You can choose any long grain rice, but check the packet for cooking times because this varies. Basmati or jasmine rice has more flavour than standard rice, but it can cost a lot more. Personally I think it is worth it because rice is a relatively cheap ingredient anyway.