Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken thighs (about 350g)
- 6–10 small dried red chillies
- Cooking oil, for deep-frying
- 2 tsp finely chopped ginger
- 2 tsp finely chopped garlic
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp thinly sliced spring onion greens (optional)
- For the marinade/batter
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp potato flour
- 2 tsp cooking oil
- For the sauce
- 1 tbsp double concentrate tomato purée mixed with 1 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp potato flour
- 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 11/2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp clear rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp stock or water
Method
The dish is usually made with boned chicken leg meat, although you can use breast if you prefer. Do make sure your wok is stable before using it for deep-frying: it’s important to use a wok stand with a round-bottomed wok.
Unfold the chicken thighs and lay them, skin side down, on a chopping board. (If some parts are very thick, lay your knife flat and slice them across in half, parallel to the board.) Use a sharp knife to make a few shallow criss-cross cuts into the meat; this will help the flavours to penetrate. Then cut each thigh into 3–4cm slices, an uneven 1/2 cm or so in thickness. Place the slices in a bowl.
For the marinade, add the soy sauces and egg yolk to the chicken and mix well. Then stir in the potato flour, and lastly the oil. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Use a pair of scissors to snip the chillies into 2cm sections, discarding seeds as far as possible. Heat a wok over a high flame.
Pour in the deep-frying oil and heat to 180–200°C (350–400°F). Add the chicken and fry until crisp and golden. (If you are deep-frying in a wok with a relatively small volume of oil, fry the chicken in a couple of batches.) Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour the oil into a heatproof container and clean the wok if necessary.
Return the wok to a high flame. Add 2–3 tbsp cooking oil and the chillies and stir-fry briefly until they are fragrant and just changing colour (do not burn them). Toss in the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds more, until you can smell their aromas. Then add the sauce and stir as it thickens. Return the chicken to the wok and stir vigorously to coat the pieces in sauce. Stir in the sesame oil, then serve, with a scattering of spring onion greens if desired.
From Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop published by Bloomsbury ($55).
