Ginger Chicken

A party appetizer and a delicious way to eat chicken. This Indian recipe is packed with flavor and is irresistible. The following recipe serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
5 table spoons corn flour
2 table spoons all purpose flour
1/2 tea spoon + 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 tea spoon pepper
1 tea spoon soy sauce
1 table spoon ginger paste
1 table spoon garlic paste
1/2 medium onion -very finely chopped
4 shallots finely chopped
4 inch ginger root finely minced
6 scallions finely chopped- both greens and whites
1 table spoon ketchup
1/2 table spoon rice wine vinegar
couple of pinches or 1/4 teaspoon ajinomoto (optional)
1/4 cup chicken stock or water
1 tea spoon + 1 tea spoon chilli powder (adjust to your spice level)
5 tablespoons cilantro
6 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon canola oil

Method:
In a bowl, mix chicken pieces, corn flour, all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 tea spoon pepper, ginger paste, garlic paste, and soy sauce (water is not needed, the moisture in the chicken will bind everything together). Mix until the chicken is coated well with the flour mixture. Take a large pan and put it on medium heat with 6 tablespoons of oil in it. When the oil is hot, layer the chicken in the oil (you should fit the chicken in the pan in single layer, do not over crowd the pan. If your pan does not fit all the chicken pieces, fry them in two batches). Fry the chicken on both sides, 5 minutes on each side, until the chicken turns golden brown. Take the chicken pieces onto a paper towel to remove the excess oil and keep them aside.

In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion, shallots and saute them for 2 minutes. Add chili powder, ginger, scallions and saute for another one minute, until the ginger is fragrant. Add tomato ketchup, ajinomoto, vinegar, chicken stock and stir them just until everything combines. Add chicken pieces to the sauce and combine well. Put the lid on and let the chicken cook 5 to 10 minutes stirring for every 2 minutes. Finally, add cilantro and mix well. Delicious ginger chicken is ready to serve.

Tips and More:

• Add bell pepper (red, green or yellow) for added flavor and additional veggies.
• Serve with fresh lemon juice and red onion and you cant stop eating this appetizer.
• The above recipe is the dry version of ginger chicken. For more sauce or a wet version, double the quantities of ketchup, vinegar and chicken stock and add 1/4 teaspoon of soy sauce. This is best when served with fried rice.