I LOVE Chilli Chicken. I usually just follow my mom’s recipe, which I have made my own over the years. I was about to make it for a potluck, when I scrolled through my YouTube feed and noticed that my friends Insiya & Saptarshi from Bong Eats published a Kolkata style Chilli Chicken. As I’m a BIG fan of trying new things, I decided to give their recipe a test drive.
It’s very different in terms of process from my simpler version, but their crispy morsels of Chicken are second to none. They’ve attributed this breading style to Kenji Lopez-Alt from seriouseats.com Check out their recipe here.
I’ve never been to Kolkata former Calcutta, but I have plenty of Bong friends and have tried many a Bengali dish. If you like to try new things, this recipe will not disappoint! Make sure to check out the Bong Eats channel and give them a shout!
Ingredients
- 500 gms (1 lb) Chicken cut in cubes
- Marinade
- 2 tbsps each Ginger & Garlic + pinch salt crushed
- Egg white of one egg
- 1/3 cup dark Soya
- 1/3 cup Chinese Cooking wine
- 1 tsp crushed Peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp of Corn starch
- Breading
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Corn starch
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- Pinch of Salt
- Sauce
- 2 tbsps dark Soya sauce
- 2 tbsps light Soya sauce
- 2 tbsps Chinese cooking wine
- I need to add 2 tbsps vinegar and I prefer to use the homemade vinegar I always have in my fridge - this is just green chillies soaked in vinegar
- Add 3 tbsps Ketchup
- Add 2 tbsps chilli sauce
- 1/2 cup Chicken stock
- 1 tsp fresh pepper
- And a pinch of Aji na Moto or MSG
- Cornstarch slurry - 1 tsp Cornstarch and water
- Other
- 2 green chillies ( 2 tbsps)
- 2 cups red Onion quartered and seperated
- 1 cup green Pepper cut in squares
- 2 tbps each minced Ginger & Garlic
- 2 Spring Onions sliced diagonally for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade and marinate the Chicken in half
- Mix the flours, baking powder and salt together and add the other half of the marinade to make a damp and crumbly breading
- Prepare the sauce and the other ingredients
- Heat oil in a wok and add the onions and peppers
- Add the sugar to help caramelize the onion
- Add the green chilies and minces ginger and garlic
- Add the sauce, bring to the boil and add the slurry
- Dip each piece of chicken in the flour mixture and deep fry
- Once done toss the cooked chicken in the gravy
- Garnish with Spring Onions
