A Childhood Favorite:Chilli Chicken

What did your mom cook for you at times when you used to tell her ” Mom,You dont love me anymore?”and lock yourself in a room and start counting all the occasions when you were refused an ice cream, a Barbie doll, crayons or a dress! Well,on all such days,my mom used to make this particular chicken dish for me.She knew how to get her spoilt daughter back to behaving normally without being J of her siblings.This is in fact one of THE first few and only Indo-chinese dishes I ate during my growing years along with fried rice [which were never actually fried ] or a plate of oily chow mein,another Indo-Chinese delicacy which by all means defeats the definition of authentic chinese stir fried noodles!I also wanna mention that in Delhi I have seen kaju[cashew] chowmein and pineapple chowmein and eaten too…all for the love of Indo-Chinese food.

All of you who grew in India in the 80′s would swear to eat or crave this chicken dish every other day.Atleast I did! The best about this dish is that the recipe is so quick that it can make its way to your tummy within minutes.The other day when I felt ultra lethargic,I made a quick chilli chicken & steamed rice. Being married to a Bong has few other advantages too besides the fact that he will eat anything under the sun with rice.One of them being that if you give him anything dunked in vinegar and soya sauce in the name of chinese,not only will he eat it but praise you too. And as always I shamelessly take advantage of and rant about it too

When I say CHILLI chicken,I mean lots and lots of chillies..of all kinds…whole red chillies, black pepper and red chilli powder..Okay dont be scared..this is not some deadly chicken preparation..it is just a really hot chicken recipe.Succulent pieces of chicken in a spicy sauce with onions and dry red chillies.If they say, heaven exists on earth,a bowl of chilli chicken personifies it in some crude distant form! Though I never actually asked Mom the recipe,and only saw her making it while chatting beside the stove,I still prepare it recounting those times and the lingering tastes from childhood.I normally refrain from deep-frying the chicken pieces and settle for shallow frying.A handful of red or green capsicum tastes very good, but P is not a great fan, so though I didn’t use it I m noting down!Below goes the recipe:

What I need:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs/breasts [even bone in chicken can be used too]
1 tsp corn starch
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup sliced red onions [the more onions, the merrier]
3 pods garlic crushed
1 tbsp ginger julians
12-15 whole dry red chillies, broken into 2-3 smaller pieces
4 tbsp dark soya sauce
4 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 cup diced capsicum
1 tsp crushed black pepper
Salt to taste
Few chopped green chillies
3 tbsp + 1 tbsp canola oil

How I did it:

Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel.Sprinkle the chicken with cornstarch, all-purpose flour, salt and black pepper and combine well.Set aside for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile in a wide-mouthed pan, heat the 3 tbsp oil to the smoking point.When the oil is hot, tip in the chicken pieces and saute in oil till they become white on the outside and slightly tender.About 3-5 minutes.
Remove the chicken pieces and drain on a paper towel.

In the same pan, add the 1 tbsp oil and on high heat add the crushed garlic and ginger julians.Saute for 2 minutes and add the sliced onions.Saute the onions till they are soft and translucent but not brown.
Next, add the whole red chillies,chicken,soya sauce, salt and red chilli powder to the pan and cook on high heat till the chicken pieces are tender.About 8-10 minutes.Add the diced capsicum now if using.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove from heat and add the vinegar.
Transfer to a bowl and garnish with few green chillies.
Serve warm with steamed rice or chow mein/hakka noodles.

Enjoy!