Sonali tells us how she tweaked the Orange Chicken, spiced it up to suit her Indo-Chinese cuisine taste. Read more about it, in the weekly column, exclusively in Different Truths.
I love Indo-Chinese cuisine and before moving here, I loved the Chili Chicken and Hakka Noodles. That was my go to menu whenever I was in a restaurant. Here, unfortunately, the Chinese cuisine is not as spicy as in India. The first time I tried some of the items on the menu and liked the orange chicken the most. It was very new to me and I liked it. It had a tangy sweet orange flavored sauce with a slightly spicy kick.
After ordering a couple of times at the restaurant, I tried making at home. The best thing to make at home is that you can tweak the recipe as per your taste. So, it became more on the spicier side than sweet. I love this recipe and whenever I crave for something tangy and spicy chicken, I make this.
Like most of my recipes, this too is quick and easy to make. People are intimidated by the long list of ingredients in Chinese cuisine but trust me, most of the ingredients are from the pantry.
So, here is my way of Spicy Orange Chicken! Serve with steamed rice, Chow mein or fried rice of your choice.
Recipe
Preparation Time: 15 mins Cooking Time: 15 mins
Other Time: 60 mins Serves: 2
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
450 grams of boneless chicken fillet
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon corn flour
½ cup vegetable oil for frying
For the Sauce:
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon soya sauce
1 teaspoon red chili sauce
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon orange zests
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon corn flour
1 tablespoon green onion finely chopped
1 red chili chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Method
Wash and pat dry the chicken fillet with a kitchen towel and cut into bite size pieces.
In a bowl add the ginger-garlic paste, vinegar, salt and black pepper powder and mix well.
Add the chicken pieces and mix well so that the spices coat the chicken. Cover and let it marinate for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a bowl add all the ingredients listed under the sauce except the corn flour. Transfer it to a sauce pan and let it come to a boil. Lower the heat and let it cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Switch off the flame and set aside.
After an hour, heat oil in a pan and add the marinated chicken pieces in batches. Once the chicken turns golden brown in color, drain, and place on a plate lined with kitchen towel.
Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
Switch the heat and warm up the sauce. Mix the corn flour and 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl to make a slurry. When the sauce comes to a light boil, add the slurry and mix well. Turn the heat off ass the sauce will thicken very fast.
Add the fried chicken to the sauce and coat well. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with chopped green onions and red chilies. Enjoy with steamed rice, Chinese fried rice or chow mein.
Tips
You may make the sauce ahead of time and store in a glass container in the refrigerator. If you are storing, do not add the corn flour slurry.
Photos by the Author
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