Chicken With Chillies

Cut the chicken into 1-inch (2cm) cubes and put them into a small bowl.

Add the marinade ingredients and mix well. Set aside for 20 minutes. ● Salt 1 tsp / 5g ● Shaoxing wine 2 tsp / 10ml ● Soy sauce 2 tsp / 10ml ● 1 tsp green onions, diced ● 1 tsp ginger slices

Dice the green onion.

Slice the garlic and ginger.

Snip the chillies in half with a pair of scissors and discard as many seeds as possible.

Soak the dried chillies in water at room temperature. Drain and set aside. (This can prevent the chillies from burning when stir-frying)

Remove the ginger and green onion from the marinated chicken. Add cornstarch and mix well.

Heat oil for deep-frying to 320°F/160°C. Add the chicken and fry for 3-4 minutes until the pieces are cooked through, golden-brown and a little crispy on the outside. Drain well and re-fry at 350°F/180°C for another minute or so to make it extra crispy. Drain and set aside.

Add 2 tbsps of oil in a wok over a moderate heat. Add the chillies, Sichuan peppercorns, and stir-fry until they are fragrant. Then add garlic, ginger, chicken, and stir-fry for 10-20 seconds until just taking color, taking great care not to burn the chillies (remove the wok from the stove for a few seconds if the oil seems too hot). Season with Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, Pixian bean paste, salt, green onion, and stir well so that the chicken is coated with the fragrant oil. Finally, remove from the heat, stir in the sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Enjoy!