Manchurian chicken

• egg white1

  (save the yolk for another recipe)

• soy sauce↗2 tsp tsp
• cornflour↗2 tbsp tbsp
• boneless chicken thighs↗350g g

  cut into strips

• neutral oil

  for shallow frying

• cooked egg noodles↗

  to serve (optional)

• cornflour↗6 tbsp tbsp
• plain flour↗2 tbsp tbsp
• baking powder↗¼ tsp tsp
• chilli powder↗½ tsp tsp
• neutral oil1 tbsp tbsp
• grated ginger2 tsp tsp
• garlic cloves↗2

  finely chopped or crushed

• spring onions↗3

  chopped

• tomato ketchup↗2 tbsp tbsp
• soy sauce↗1 tbsp
• sweet or garlic chilli sauce1 tbsp

  (add ½ tsp sugar if your chilli sauce isn’t sweet)

• cornflour↗1 tsp

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Combine the egg white with the soy sauce and cornflour in a large bowl. Add the chicken and mix thoroughly to coat.

2. 2

   Mix all the coating ingredients together with ½ tsp salt in a bowl and set aside.

3. 3

   Make the sauce by heating the oil in a pan and frying the ginger, garlic and most of the spring onions (save some to serve) over a medium heat for 1 min. Stir in the ketchup, soy sauce and chilli sauce plus 3 tbsp water and cook for 1 min. Stir the cornflour into 1 tbsp cold water to make a paste and add this to the sauce. Turn the heat to low and cook for a minute or so – the sauce should thicken straight away. Remove from the heat and set aside.

4. 4

   Put a few tablespoons of oil in a large, shallow pan over a medium heat. Dip the chicken pieces, shaking off any excess marinade, into the bowl of coating and toss to coat. Shake off any excess flour and lower the chicken into the hot oil. Repeat this until you have a single layer of chicken in the pan. Fry the chicken pieces for about 4-5 mins each side, until they are crisp on both sides and lightly golden, they should be crunchy and cooked through. Scoop them out into a colander set over a bowl to catch any excess fat. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, reheat the sauce over a low heat. Add all the fried chicken to the sauce and toss it gently to coat. Sprinkle over the remaining spring onions to serve.