Ken's sweet & sour chicken
4 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| - Ken Hom, Guest Chef | ||
| ¾ | pounds | Skinless, bnls chicken brst |
| 1 | tablespoon | Rice wine or dry sherry |
| 1 | tablespoon | Light soy sauce |
| ½ | teaspoon | Salt |
| 1 | Small green bell pepper | |
| 1 | Small red bell pepper | |
| 1 | Carrot | |
| 2 | Scallions | |
| 1 | Egg, beaten | |
| 2 | tablespoons | Cornstarch |
| 2 | cups | Oil, preferably peanut |
| 3 | ounces | Canned lychees, drained or 1 fresh orange in segments |
| SAUCE: | ||
| ⅔ | cup | Chicken stock |
| 1 | tablespoon | Light soy sauce |
| ½ | teaspoon | Salt |
| 1½ | tablespoon | Chinese white rice vinegar or cider vinegar |
| 1 | tablespoon | Sugar |
| 1 | tablespoon | Tomato paste |
| 1 | teaspoon | Cornstarch |
| 1 | teaspoon | Water |
Directions
Properly made sweet and sour is a delicate balance of flavors, not the heavy, overly sweet combination you tend to find in this country. CUT THE CHICKEN INTO 1-INCH cubes. Put the cubes into a bowl together with the rice wine or sherry, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and ½ teaspoon salt, and marinate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the green and red peppers into 1-inch squares. Peel and cut the carrots and scallions into 1-inch chunks. (The uniform size of meat and vegetables adds to the visual appeal of the dish.) Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the carrots in it for 4 minutes, then drain and set aside. Mix the egg and cornstarch in a bowl until they are well blended into a batter. Lift the chicken cubes out of the marinade, put them into a batter and coat each piece well. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or large wok until it is almost smoking.
Remove the chicken pieces from the batter with a slotted spoon and deep-fry them. Drain the deep-fried chicken cubes on paper towels. TO MAKE THE SAUCE: Combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, salt, vinegar, sugar and tomato paste in a large saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Add all the vegetables, but not the lychees or oranges, and stir well. In a small bowl, blend together the cornstarch and water. Stir this mixture into the sauce, and bring it back to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Add the lychees or oranges and chicken cubes. Mix well, then turn the mixture onto a deep platter. Serve at once.