Dragon Chicken
There’s something about this preparation that elevates it from the usual Chinese chicken stir-fry. The sauce and batter add more depth to a pretty simple dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless chicken thigh pieces, cut into 1-inch strips
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 small brown onion, cut into wedges
- 1 bell pepper, deseeded, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup salted cashews
- 5 dried red chilies (or to taste), cut in half
- 1 large red chili, finely sliced
- ¼ cup spring onion, cut into batons
Stir-fry sauce
- ¼ cup tomato ketchup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Thai sriracha sauce
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1 tsp Chinese black vinegar
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Batter
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp rice flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tsp ginger, finely grated
- 1 egg white
- 2 tsp soy sauce
Preparation
Combine ingredients for the stir-fry sauce in a bowl, set aside for later.
To make the batter, whisk together the plain flour, rice flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add in the chili powder, garlic, ginger, egg white, soy sauce, and 3½ fl. oz. (100 ml) of water. Mix to combine well. Now add the chicken pieces and ensure they’re all well coated.
Fill a wok or large saucepan with vegetable oil one-third of the way up. Turn on medium-high heat. The oil is hot when a wooden chopstick or the end of a wooden spoon will bubble when placed in the oil – total Asian mum trick! Working in batches, carefully remove the chicken pieces from the batter and lower them into the hot oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a cooling rack set over paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Place a clean wok over high heat. Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil, then add the onion and stir-fry for half a minute. Then add the capsicum and cashews and stir-fry for a minute. Now add the dried chili and stir-fry for another half a minute. Add the chicken, stir-fry sauce, fresh red chili, and spring onion. Toss until well combined.