Smokin' Hakka Chili Chicken
Indian Chinese (or Indo-Chinese) cuisine is a cuisine formed through the adaptation of CHINESE SEASONING and cooking techniques to INDIAN TASTES and was developed by the Chinese community in eastern India over the course of a century. This cuisine combines FLAVORS of both regions and brings out the best of both in my opinion. Lucky for me, there are many restaurants on Long Island (NY) which offer this cuisine, but I noticed they all made their chili chicken a little differently from one another. CHILI CHICKEN is always the first thing on my order when I go out to eat Indian-Chinese because of its SPICY, TANGY and addicting flavor. I had tried many variations and soon began experimenting how to make it at home. My version has a secret shortcut ingredient that has already been perfected and brings UMAMI to this recipe.
PREP TIME: 15 minutes l COOK TIME: 30 minutes l TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes
Ingredients
Chicken marinate
1 clove garlic, grated or finely minced
1 lb. chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons corn starch
Sauce & vegetables
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced
1-inch ginger, grated
3 thai chilies, finely chopped with seeds
if you don’t want too much heat then feel free to use less chilies and/or take the seeds out
1 cup cabbage, diced small
½ a white onion, diced small
1 bell pepper, chopped into bite size pieces
½ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon red chili powder
½ teaspoon ground schezwan peppercorn
this isn’t something everyone has in their pantry but you can still make the recipe without this
1 tablespoon worchester sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon corn starch
½ cup of water
Salt, to your taste
Directions
Serving size: 4 entrees
Cooking the chicken
1. Begin to pre-heat a neutral cooking oil (like canola or vegetable oil) in a deep skillet to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, 1 grated clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons corn starch. Mix thoroughly so the chicken is evenly coated and you don’t see the white of the corn starch.
3. Begin frying the chicken in small batches until each batch is cooked through and the chicken is brown on the outside; this should take 5-10 minutes per batch.
4. Set aside the chicken on a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil while you prep the sauce and vegetable base.
Making the sauce & vegetable base.
In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, lemon juice, red chili powder, schezwan peppercorn, worchester sauce and corn starch. Make sure to combine thoroughly to avoid corn starch lumps and then set aside.
In a medium sauce pan, heat up 2 tablespoons of any neutral cooking oil and add in garlic, ginger, cabbage, onions and bell peppers.
Once the vegetables have started to turn lightly translucent and soften, add in the thai chilies. Turn the heat to low and cover for 2 minutes to allow the chilies to release their flavor.
Add in the prepped sauce mix, water and bring the mix to a simmer.
Allow the sauce to simmer on low heat until it is just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; you can add more water in if it gets too thick.
Add the chicken pieces to the sauce mix and toss to coat.
Serve over rice or mixed greens and enjoy!