Chicken Manchurian

Ingredients

• 500 g boneless chicken breast or thigh, cut into 2 cm pieces
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tbsp cornflour, for the coating
• 2 tbsp plain flour (maida)
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, for the marinade
• ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• ½ tsp salt
• 500 ml cooking oil, for frying
• 2 tbsp cooking oil, for the sauce
• 1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, sliced
• 1 medium onion, cut into 2 cm squares
• 1 medium capsicum, cut into 2 cm squares
• 3 spring onions, whites and greens sliced separately
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, for the sauce
• 1 tbsp red chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• ½ tsp sugar
• 250 ml water or chicken stock
• 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with 3 tbsp cold water for the slurry
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix the chicken with the ginger garlic paste, 1 tbsp soy sauce, black pepper and salt. Leave it for 15 minutes.
2. Add the egg, 3 tbsp cornflour and the plain flour to the chicken. Stir until each piece has a thin, sticky coating. If it looks dry, add 1 tbsp water.
3. Heat 500 ml oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat until a pinch of batter sizzles straight away, about 170°C.
4. Fry the chicken in two batches, without crowding the pan, for 4 to 5 minutes each. The pieces should be golden and crisp, and the chicken should reach 74°C inside.
5. Lift the chicken out with a slotted spoon and drain it on kitchen paper. Carefully pour the frying oil into a heatproof container to cool.
6. Heat 2 tbsp fresh oil in a wok or wide pan over high heat. Fry the garlic, ginger, green chillies and spring onion whites for 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
7. Add the onion and capsicum and stir-fry for 2 minutes. The vegetables should be slightly softened but still crunchy.
8. Stir in 2 tbsp soy sauce, the chilli sauce, ketchup, vinegar, sugar and the water or stock. Bring to a boil.
9. Stir the cornflour slurry, then pour it in while stirring. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce turns glossy and coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
10. Add the fried chicken and toss for 1 minute so it is coated in sauce. Serve straight away, topped with the spring onion greens.

Tips

• Cut the chicken into even pieces so they cook at the same rate and stay juicy.
• For extra crunch, fry the chicken a second time for 1 minute after the first batch has rested for 5 minutes.
• Add the chicken to the sauce just before serving. If it sits in the sauce, the coating turns soft.
• Keep the heat high when cooking the vegetables so they stay crisp instead of stewing.