← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 500 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2–3 cm pieces
• 1 Eggs, beaten
• ½ tsp Salt
• 70 g cornflour, for coating
• 80 ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce
• 4 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 100 ml vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
• 8 Dried chillies
• 2 tsp Ginger, minced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Spring onion, sliced
• 1 tsp Sesame seeds (optional)

Method

1. Mix the chicken with the beaten egg and salt. Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a jug until the sugar and cornflour dissolve.
2. Tip the cornflour into a bowl and toss the chicken pieces in it, a handful at a time, pressing so they are well coated. Shake off the excess.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until a pinch of cornflour sizzles. Fry the chicken in a single layer, in two batches if needed, for 3–4 min a side, until deep golden and cooked through (75°C / 165°F). Drain on kitchen paper.
4. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of oil. Over medium-low heat, fry the dried chillies, ginger and garlic for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
5. Stir the sauce, pour it in and simmer, stirring, until thick and glossy, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and toss quickly so each piece is coated.
6. Scatter with spring onion and sesame seeds and serve at once with rice and steamed broccoli.

Tips

• Named after a Qing-dynasty general but created by Chinese chefs in Taiwan and New York, this is American-Chinese food, rarely seen in mainland China.
• Toss the chicken in the sauce only at the very end so the coating stays crisp.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook Tiffy Cooks Taste of Asian Food