In India, Chinese food is big. There are two kinds of Chinese; Indian Chinese and the Kylie Kwong Chinese found in uppity restaurants. While I absolutely love watching her whip up the authentic delicacies with fresh ingredients often picked up from a boat, I suspect many Indians rather enjoy their own version of Chinese cuisine. Well we need not be ashamed of that. It is just our thing – Indian Chinese. Indian Chinese has found its way to the homecoming recipe of a family member and found its place next to daal rice or khichdi or curry rice.
Chilli chicken is somewhat an Indian Chinese recipe. It is very popular in Calcutta too. Zinia calls my recipe Kolkata chilli chicken and often orders it.
My food word for this recipe would be full of chutzpah.
When you go shopping look for:
Boneless chicken
Sweet chilli sauce
White pepper
Spring onions
Star anise
Dry red chillies
Soya sauce
Vinegar
Green chilly sauce
Sesame oil
Sesame seeds
The recipe would be:
Cut the chicken in strips but please do not make it too thin. Marinate with sweet chilli sauce, vinegar, green chilly sauce, white pepper and salt. Keep aside for at least three hours in the refrigerator.
Take a bunch of spring onions and cut them in slanting lengths of an inch each. Use both the white bulbs and the green stalks.
When it is cook time, in any sesame oil, dab the strips in corn flour and in batches till they turn golden. Set aside. In the same oil, add a bit more of needed, so for about half kilo you need about two tbsp, add two broken by half red chillies and about two star anise. Toss then for a minute or so. Spoon in a tsp each of all the sauces. Stir fry for one min. It is time to throw in the spring onions and nicely stir everything. In another minute and a half, the chicken goes in. There will be some of the marinade left in the chicken marinade bowl. Add all of it and give it a big toss. Once tossed, cover with a lid for three mins in low heat. Then spike up the heat, sprinkle sesame seeds and toss.
