How to chop a shallot

1. Buy the long, thin banana shallots as they’re easier to peel and chop more finely than the round ones. Halve lengthways, top and tail, then peel.

2. Remove the inner core and set aside, keeping the top three layers.

3. Flatten the top layers with the palm of your hand.

4. Finely slice lengthways, leaving 5mm at the top to grip with your fingers. Still gripping, slice the other way to create fine dice.

5. Repeat the cutting process with the inner layers, without flattening them out first.

Golden rules

• Make sure your knife or cleaver is very sharp.
• Keep one end of the shallot intact.
• For fine dice, make the slices close together.