Chilli Chicken

CHILLI CHICKEN

One of my favourites considering I luuuuvvvvv Chinese cuisine as its easier on the palate and stomach. My mum used to make this quite often at home and I was longing for it again. Zeroing down to Valentine's Day (yipee, yeah Yesterday !!!) for this special treat, I hopped along to the market on Saturday and bought the ingredients for Chilli Chicken.

So let me share the ingredients and the recipe with you here. I couldn't upload any photos as they didn't turn out very well and did not look like the exotic Chinese Chilli Chicken which I had conjured up and my hubby loved.  A great Valentine's Day gift , right to the man's stomach :)

INGREDIENTS 

Boneless chicken /fresh chicken - 1 kg 500 gms (chopped into medium size)
Soya sauce -  3 (use the spoon you will use for cooking and stirring)
Red Chilli sauce  - 2 (use the spoon you will use for cooking and stirring)  Tip: If you are using green chilli sauce, add according to taste
Vinegar -  2 (the same spoon)
Tomato ketchup - 2 (the same spoon) or as per taste
Garlic flakes/pearls - 8 (chopped fine)
Ginger - 1/2 an inch (chopped fine)
Ginger - garlic paste - 2 tsp (for added flavour)
Capsicum - 1 large (cut in strips)
Onions -   2 medium (chopped fine)
Green chillies - 2 (slit)
Cooking oil - to fry the chicken
Salt - according to taste
Cornflour - 1 tsp    Tip: If you don't have cornflour, improvish by mixing 1 tablespoon of maida(all purpose flour) with 3 or 4 tbsps of milk into a thick pouring consistency .
Optional - 2 eggs (beaten well)

If you are adding a combination of  tomato - chilli sauce add according to taste

MARINATE 

Clean the chicken and marinate it with soya sauce, vinegar, chilli sauce, tomato sauce overnight in the fridge.

COOK

1) Pour enough cooking oil in a frying pan to shallow fry the chicken. Remove the chicken pieces and fry. Set the marinade sauces aside in a bowl. Once done, remove onto a plate or kichen towel. You can also coat the chicken pieces with beaten eggs and roll in cornflour and fry. Set aside.

2) Then in the same oil, fry the chopped garlic and ginger, capsicum, ginger-garlic paste, chopped onion and slit green chillies.

3) Then add the sauces from the marinated chicken. If it is not sufficient, then add some more sauce according to taste.

4) Boil well.

5) Add the cornflour slowly and thicken.

6) Add the fried chicken and mix well.

SERVE

Serve hot with Chinese Fried Rice.