Cantonese lemon chicken — a deep fried battered chicken cutlet under a sweet lemon sauce

Zest half a lemon, then cut it into slices and squeeze out the juice; set aside.

Butterfly the chicken breast by cutting into it and unfolding it flat.

Score small grooves about a centimetre apart, turn 90 degrees and score again for a checkerboard, so the marinade can work.

Toss with the liaojiu, light soy sauce, sugar, salt and white pepper powder.

Massage the marinade in and leave half an hour.

For the sauce, mix 1 teaspoon stock concentrate into 50 ml water, then add the salt, sugar and custard powder. Set aside.

Whisk an egg until no strands of white remain, add 6 tablespoons cornstarch and mix a couple of minutes to a smooth batter.

Toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon cornstarch, then rub the batter all over it.

Transfer to a plate of dry cornstarch and flip to coat evenly.

Heat about two cups of oil in a wok to about 180 centigrade.

Lower the chicken in and do not touch it; the target frying temperature is 170 centigrade. After about two minutes, once the coating has hardened, flip, spooning hot oil over any part sticking out.

Fry about two more minutes, flip again and fry about a minute until lightly golden brown.

Take the chicken out, bring the oil to about 200 centigrade and fry a second time for 30 seconds, then drain on a paper towel lined plate.

In a separate pot over medium heat, fry the crushed garlic and ginger in about a tablespoon of oil for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Pour about a teaspoon of liaojiu over the spatula and swirl it round the pot, then add the sauce and boil together about a minute; remove the garlic and ginger.

Add the lemon juice and zest last, to keep the lemon fragrance.

After about 15 seconds add a slurry of 1 teaspoon cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water and boil about 30 seconds to thicken.

Slice the fried cutlet into pieces about an inch and a half by two inches, plate and smother with the lemon sauce; add lemon slices if you have them and garnish with cilantro.