Enjoy this popular Hakka (Indo-Chinese) shallow-fried chicken dish with a little chilli heat and some sweetness
Prep:10 mins
Serves 4
1 egg white (save the yolk for another recipe)2 tsp soy sauce2 tbsp cornflour350g boneless chicken thighs, cut into stripsneutral oil, for shallow fryingcooked egg noodles, to serve (optional)
STEP 1Combine the egg white with the soy sauce and cornflour in a large bowl. Add the chicken and mix thoroughly to coat.STEP 2Mix all the coating ingredients together with ½ tsp salt in a bowl and set aside.STEP 3Make the sauce by heating the oil in a pan and frying the ginger, garlic and most of the spring onions (save some to serve) over a medium heat for 1 min. Stir in the ketchup, soy sauce and chilli sauce plus 3 tbsp water and cook for 1 min. Stir the cornflour into 1 tbsp cold water to make a paste and add this to the sauce. Turn the heat to low and cook for a minute or so – the sauce should thicken straight away. Remove from the heat and set aside.STEP 4Put a few tablespoons of oil in a large, shallow pan over a medium heat. Dip the chicken pieces, shaking off any excess marinade, into the bowl of coating and toss to coat. Shake off any excess flour and lower the chicken into the hot oil. Repeat this until you have a single layer of chicken in the pan. Fry the chicken pieces for about 4-5 mins each side, until they are crisp on both sides and lightly golden, they should be crunchy and cooked through. Scoop them out into a colander set over a bowl to catch any excess fat. Repeat with the remaining chicken.STEP 5Meanwhile, reheat the sauce over a low heat. Add all the fried chicken to the sauce and toss it gently to coat. Sprinkle over the remaining spring onions to serve.
