There is nothing even remotely Chinese about the Chilli
Chicken that is served in most Chinese restaurants in Calcutta, that we Bongs
so love and cannot do without. Yet, it has become an essential part of our
cuisine, and we have found a million different ways to cook it. Most
restaurants make a pakora out of boneless chicken, and then prepare a sauce
with onions, capsicum, garlic and the most essential ingredient, soy sauce. I
have my own way, which I think is slightly healthier, since it avoids deep
frying completely. It is simple and straightforward and produces reliable
results, if the recipe is followed closely.
Although this isn’t an authentic Chinese dish, I do use
authentic ingredients, and for the right taste, it is essential that you find
these, especially the dark and light soy sauces. Light soy sauce is light only
in colour, it has an extremely strong flavor, and is very very salty, so salty
infact, that it is used instead of salt. Dark soy sauce is much less salty, and
is used mostly for colour. Try and find soy sauces made in an around south east
Asia, if not China. Another ingredient is the green chilli sauce, which is
crucial. In Calcutta, the best brand is the one made by Pou Chong Brothers.
INGREDIENTS
Boneless chicken – 300-400 gms, cut into medium sized pieces
Light Soy Sauce – 4 tablespoons
Dark Soy Sauce – 2 tablespoons
Vinegar – 1 tablespoon
Green Chilli Sauce – 2 tablespoons
Ginger paste – 1 teaspoon
Garlic paste – 1 teaspoon
Black pepper powder – 2 tablespoons
Onions, diced – 1 cup
Green Capsicum, diced – 1 cup
Green chillies, chopped into large peices – ½ cup
Cornflour – 1 teaspoon, dissolved in ¼ cup of water
White oil for cooking - 4 - 6 tablespoons
Hot water for gravy
NO SALT!!! That's right, NO SALT!!!
METHOD
- Marinate the chicken with the light soy sauce, green chilli sauce, vinegar, ginger and garlic pastes, and 1 tablespoon of black pepper powder for atleast an hour. I usually marinate the chicken overnight.
- After atleast an hour, heat oil in kadhai to smoking, and add the chicken with the marinade, and stir on high flame for a minute. Add the dark soy sauce, reduce flame to low, cover and allow the chicken to cook down, stirring occasionally to ensure nothing stick to the bottom of the kadhai.
- The chicken will release a lot of water, once this water has died down, and the oil seperates at the sides, raise heat and add the capsicum. Stir around for a minute, and then add green chillies and onions. Stir well for half a minute and then add ¾ cup hot water and mix well to make gravy.
- Once the gravy starts to boil, add the corn flour mixture and stir well. The gravy will thicken immediately and a glaze will appear.
- Once this happens, add the remaining black pepper, stir and immediately turn off flame.
Serve with steamed rice.
Serves – 3
Preparation time 1 hour
Cooking time – 45 minutes
