Anyone who knows me, knows what a connoisseur of chilli chicken I am. To give you a little background, the conception of this iconic dish happened during the rule of East India Company over India. Due to the easy work, the Chinese started migrating into India through Kolkata and that's where the Indo-Chinese cuisine was born.
Chilli Chicken, though was conceptualised much later, when an immigrant named Nelson Wang (the Founder of the now famous China Garden) moved to Mumbai (then Bombay) to work in Taj Mahal Palace. Coincidentally the Taj also housed the first Sichuan Restaurant in the country to which Wang was assigned. Soon after, he quit and aimed to start his own Chinese Fine Dine (and the first Chinese Fine Dine in the country) - China Garden. When Wang started China Garden, he did not have the resources to import the Chinese ingredients required to make the authentic Hakka style food that he was used to. This meant no Sichuan peppercorns which give that regional food the fiery and numbness you feel. So he improvised with local ingredients, such as chillies, ginger paste, garlic paste, and lo and behold the evergreen soy sauced based chilli chicken was born, described by his customers then as fiery Chinese food.
Now as it travelled throughout the country, it changed forms. In the North, Delhi made their chilli chicken popular with tomatoes. Or to be more precise tomato ketchup (I have made it that way and I would never. Ever Again.) They claim it brings an extra umami flavour and it lowers the spiciness of the dish (pishposh. Why would you). In the south, Andra Pradesh makes their chilli chicken from chicken thighs on the bone. It is a crispy preparation, not too far from the chicken 65, containing a light tempering of curry leaves, dried red chillies and onions. The Tangra style chilli chicken from Kolkata is very similar in ingredients to the Delhi type chicken with a milder, tangier sauce as a coating ( and less ketchup too)
My recipe is an amalgamation of all these styles. It just may possibly be the most Indian thing since the 1983 and 2011 Cricket World Cup. After much blood, sweat and tears (from the chillies) here is my foolproof way to make the perfect chilli chicken at home every time. I mean, what is the actual point of being a connoisseur if you don't have your own secret recipe? Here is mine.
Servings: 2-3 people | Prep Time: 20 min| Total Time: 35 min
INGREDIENTS
250 gm chicken breast
100 gm chopped onions
50 gm minced garlic
50 gm minced ginger
30 gms chopped green chillies
1 teaspoon chilli paste
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Salt to taste
10 gm Pepper
10 gm chilli flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon cornflour (for the slurry)
100 gm diced bellpeppers
100 gm diced onions
For the Batter:
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
Salt to taste
100 gm Refined Flour
100 gm Rice Flour
100 gm Corn flour
Oil for frying
METHOD
1. Mix the ingredients for the batter together with some water to make a batter thick enough to coat the chicken lightly.
2. Slice the chicken breast into cubes and add in the batter.
3. Lightly fry the cubes and set aside.
4. In a pan or a wok (a wok is preferred but that’s just the chef in me. A pan like I have used here works just the same, but you have to make sure it is super-hot before you pour in the oil and do the subsequent steps)
5. Add garlic, ginger and green chilies to a couple of teaspoons of oil in the pan. Saute for a minute and then add your chopped onions. At this stage, I add in a splash of white wine ( you can add in rice wine vinegar if you have or completely skip any alcohol, but it just gives it that oomph)
6. Add in the diced bell peppers and onions and let them cook on a high flame while stirring occasionally. Add in the seasonings (chili flakes are optional. I only add them when I know my chilies aren’t as spicy as I like them)
7. Add in the fried chicken pieces, the chili paste and give it a good mix. Add in the soy sauce and let it caramelize on high heat while you stir it all the time.
8. Lastly, add in your cornflour slurry and let it thicken. Do not stop stirring and if you thick the gravy is getting too thick, add a little water. The slurry should evenly coat all pieces of the chicken. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with some scallions and enjoy!
Bon Appetite!
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