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Sweet and sour chicken
is a very popular dish and there are several
different ways to make it. In this recipe, black
rice vinegar heightens the tartness of the sauce.
Here is another recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken
with lemon.
Makes 3 - 4 servings of sweet and sour chicken, or 4
- 6 as part of a meal
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup baby carrots
1 cucumber
1/2 red bell pepper
1 garlic clove
Marinade:
2 tsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tsp cornstarch
Batter:
1 - 2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 TB potato starch*
Sauce**:
4 1/2 TB rice vinegar
1 1/2 TB black rice vinegar
3/4 cup water
3 TB tomato paste
4 1/2 TB brown sugar
3/8 tsp chile sauce, or to taste
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 6 teaspoons water
3 1/4 cups oil for
deep-frying and stir-frying
Directions:
Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch cubes. Marinate in the
rice wine or sherry and cornstarch for 30 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, prepare the
vegetables: mince the garlic clove, peel and cut the
cucumber into thin slices, and cut the red pepper
into cubes. Chop the baby carrots. Bring a large pot
of water to boil and blanch the carrots briefly in
the boiling water. Drain thoroughly.
In a small saucepan, add the ingredients for the
sweet and sour sauce and bring to a boil. Turn the
heat to low and keep warm.
To deep-fry the chicken: Preheat 3 cups of oil to
350 - 375 degrees Fahrenheit. While waiting for the
oil to heat, brush the chicken cubes with the beaten
egg and dip in the potato starch to cover. Deep-fry
the dredged chicken pieces in batches, being careful
not to overcrowd the wok. Deep-fry for 3 - 4 minutes
until the chicken turns golden brown. Drain on paper
towels.
To deep-fry the chicken a second time if desired:
bring the oil temperature up to 400 degrees
Fahrenheit. Deep-fry the chicken in batches, very
briefly for less than a minute, until the chicken
turns brown. Drain on paper towels.
Drain all but 2 tablespoons oil from the wok. When
oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry briefly
until aromatic. Add the carrots. Stir-fry for about
1 minute, then add the red peppers. Add the cucumber
or save to use as a garnish. Bring the sauce back up
to a boil and add to the wok, mixing with the
vegetables. Add the chicken. Heat through and serve
over rice. Garnish with the cucumber if desired.
*Cornstarch can be substituted for the potato starch
**This recipe is designed to make extra sauce for
mixing in with the rice. It can easily be adjusted
either up or down depending on how much sauce you
want - just be sure to keep the proportions
constant. For 3/4 lb of chicken, reduce quantities
by 1/3 - ie. use 3 TB rice vinegar, 1 TB black rice
vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 2 TB tomato paste, etc.
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