Chicken Manchurian

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Chicken Manchurian

A stalwart of Desi Chinese cooking, chicken Manchurian is immensely popular at Chinese restaurants across South Asia. Nelson Wang, a third generation Chinese chef who was born in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), is credited with inventing the dish in Mumbai in the 1970s. This recipe comes from attempts at recreating the version served at Hsin Kuang in Lahore, Pakistan, in the late ’90s. At restaurants it’s almost always served on a sizzler platter, the tangy, sweet-and-sour sauce bubbling and thickening on its way to the table. Making it at home doesn’t compromise any of the punchy flavors. Velveting the chicken in egg and cornstarch means it’ll stay tender through the short cooking process; bell pepper and spring onions add freshness and crunch to the otherwise intense flavors from ketchup and chile-garlic sauce.

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Ingredients

  • 1egg
  • 4tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1teaspoon garlic paste or freshly grated garlic
  • 1teaspoon black pepper
  • Fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 1/3cup vegetable oil
  • 3whole dried dundicut chiles or bird’s-eye chiles
  • 1/2cup ketchup
  • 1/4cup chile-garlic sauce
  • 2tablespoons light soy sauce (or regular soy sauce)
  • 1cup chicken stock (optional)
  • 1bell pepper, halved, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 3spring onions or 1 medium scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • Cooked white rice or fried rice, for serving
Set base servings to enable scaling:

Directions

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 1/2 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.

Add dried chiles and cook on medium for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

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 1/4 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.

Nutrition

Info
Trans Fat: 0 gramsFat: 25 gramsCalories: 553Saturated Fat: 3 gramsUnsaturated Fat: 20 gramsSodium: 994 milligramsSugar: 11 gramsFiber: 2 gramsCarbohydrate: 37 gramsProtein: 44 grams
Chicken & Poultry

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023892-chicken-manchurian