This rather lovely South Indian inspired dish looks a lot like a sweet and sour dish but it is in fact more savoury as there is no added sugar, and it has quite a punchy flavour. Velveting the chicken in egg and cornstarch means it will stay tender through the short cooking process. Capsicum and spring onions add freshness and crunch to the otherwise intense flavours from the Outback Spirit Chutney, Sweet Kakadu Plum Sauce and garlic and if you crave more sweetness, you could happily add cubes of fresh pineapple to the dish - go on, we won't tell anyone!
Yield:4 servings
1 egg
4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1!/2 teaspoon garlic paste or freshly grated garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 good pinch Tasmanian Pepper Salt or fine sea salt
750g boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into ¾-inch cubes
⅓ cup light olive oil
1 -2 bird’s-eye chiles depending on taste
½ cup Outback Spirit Outback Tomato Chutney
¼ cup Sweet Chilli & Kakadu Plum Sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup chicken stock (optional)
1 Capsicum, halved, seeded and cut into 2cm pieces
3 spring onions or 1 medium scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
Cooked brown rice or risoni for serving
Velvet the chicken: In a medium bowl, whisk the egg. Continue whisking and gradually add 4 tablespoons of cornstarch until there are no lumps. Stir in garlic, black pepper and ½ teaspoon salt. Add the chicken pieces and stir until well coated. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
In a large wok or deep, high-sided skillet, heat oil on medium for 45 seconds. Add chicken (in batches, if necessary to avoid crowding) and cook until it starts turning white, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pieces and continue cooking until the chicken starts to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together ketchup, chile-garlic sauce, soy sauce, ½ teaspoon salt and, if using, chicken stock (if not using chicken stock, stir in 1 cup water). Add to mixture in pan along with bell pepper and stir to combine.
Separately, mix the remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch with ¼ cup water until smooth. Stir it into the wok and simmer until the sauce thickens and starts to turn glossy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken and stir to combine. Top with spring onions. Serve with rice.
copyright Juleigh Robins