Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients:
Chicken pieces
500g chicken breasts diced
2 beaten eggs
150g plain flour
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil (enough to shallow fry)
Sweet and sour sauce
1 cup of water
½ cup of white vinegar
½ cup sugar
½ cup of tomato puree
Vegetables oil
1 medium onion sliced
1 carrot peeled and sliced into half circles
1 pepper sliced
1 large tomato cut into wedges
1 tbsp cornflour + water to make a cornflour paste (to thicken the sauce if needed)
2 cups of basmati rice
Optional: Spring onions to garnish
Method:
1. Preheat oven 180C fan.
2. Put basmati rice on – put the rice into a saucepan and rinse in cold water and pour off the cloudy starchy water, repeat 3 times. On a flat surface shake the pot from side to side so the rice levels out. Then add enough cold water to the pot that the top of your middle finger touches the top of the rice and the water reaches your first knuckle. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer put the lid on and then once the water has fully evaporated turn off the heat.
3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Then dip the chicken into the beaten egg. Then transfer the chicken to the flour and coat. Shake the pieces of chicken so they are not stuck together.
4. Shallow fry the chicken pieces in batches till golden. Then transfer to a grill tray and into the oven at 180C fan to keep warm and crispy while you are making the rest of the dish.
5. Make the sauce - add the water and the sugar into a pan and let the sugar dissolve at a low heat. Then add the tomato puree and vinegar. Let it bubble but keep stirring it to get rid of all the lumps. Then bring to the boil to let it caramelise for a couple of minutes.
6. Then fry off the onions first for a couple of minutes (add a splash of water to help soften the onions) then add in peppers and carrot and tomatoes. Then add in the sauce and let it bubble away to caramelise further. If it is not thick enough add in a tsp of cornflour paste at a time, let it bubble and keep adding to your desired consistency.
7. Then add in the chicken pieces from the oven quickly and toss in the sauce and vegetables as quickly as you can and then serve right away with rice (you do not want soggy chicken!)
