Happy Chinese New Year
The year of the Rooster was celebrated on the 28th January 2017 and celebrations continue from then until the Lantern Festival. This festival is on the 15th day of the Chinese Lunar month which is the 11th February 2017.
To celebrate this I have taken the classic Chinese take-away recipe of Sweet and Sour Battered Chicken and made my own version.
Believe me, this is better than the take-away version and you would be pushed to go back. I would rather have this, than the take-away anytime.
I actually cooked this dish on the 28th January 2017 for the Chinese New Year and we devoured it. It was so popular that the kids wanted more. Maybe I should have doubled the recipe to satisfy the kids little bellies.
I also served this with egg fried rice.
To sum this up I would say this is a great versatile Chinese dish that pleases everyone and is easy to prepare and cook. What other reasons do you need to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
For the battered chicken
- 500 g Chicken diced
- 2 tbsp. Cornflour
- 150 g self-raising flour
- 150 ml ice cold water
- pinch Salt
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 Spring onion finely shredded (optional)
For the sweet and sour sauce
- 432 g Jar pineapple chunks drained and keep the juice
- 2 in Red Pepper cutto small dice
- 2 medium carrot strips (julienne)
- 4 tbsp. Malt vinegar
- 8 tbsp. caster sugar
- 12 tbsp. Tomato ketchup
Instructions
- To make the sauce place the pineapple juice, red pepper and carrot in to a medium sized saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and then simmer until about two tbsp. of the juice remains.
- Add the remaining ingredients and bring back to a simmer and leave to the side warming through until required later.
- Heat the oil in either a deep fat fryer or in a deep pan (about 1/3-way up) to 180C.
- Add the water to the flour a little at a time and whisk until you have a reasonably thick consistency. Season with salt and leave to the side.
- While the oil is coming to temperature coat the chicken in the corn flour and season with a little salt.
- With the oil at temperature dip the chicken pieces in to the batter and then deep fry. Cook about 6 to 8 pieces at a time to prevent the oil from cooling too much. Cook for about 3 minutes then turn over and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Repeat until all of the chicken is cooked.
- Reheat the sauce until piping hot and then serve spooned over the tender battered chicken.
- Serve complete with egg fried rice and a sprinkle of shredded spring onion.
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