This is a dish originated from the province of Hunan. The city of Dong'an, the reputed birthplace of this dish, is on its southern border. It is like a milder braised version of the famous Sichuan's Chicken with Chillies. It is spicy, salty, sweet, and sour: a delicate concoction of chicken flavoured with chillies and rice vinegar. Serve with rice.
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon black vinegar
- 2 teaspoons chilli oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 450g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm cubes
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- peanut oil for deep-frying
- 3/4 cup chopped spring onion
- 1 red chille, sliced (or more if you want if spicier)
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- salt
- Sichuan peppercorn, crushed
1. To prepare the sauce, stir together all the ingredients listed for the sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Combine chicken pieces, dark soy sauce, and cornflour in a bowl and mix well. Marimate for about 15 minutes.
3. Pour the oil to a depth of 2.5 cm into a wok or frying pan and heat until very hot (about 180 degree C). Carefully slide the chicken into the oil, stir with wooden chopsticks to separate the pieces. Fry until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a rack placed over a plate to drain.
4. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil, return the wok to high heat. Add spring onion, chillies, ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrance, about 30 seconds. Return the chicken to the work and stir-fry over high heat, mixing all the ingredients, about 30 seconds.
5. Pour in the pre-mixed sauce and stir over high heat until well mixed, about 10 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently for about 4 minutes. Season with salt and crushed Sichuan peppercorn.
6. Transfer to a serving plate and serve at once with rice.