Cantonese Sweet and Sour Chicken (甜酸雞)

Cantonese Sweet and Sour Chicken and Boiled White Rice

Sweet and Sour is probably the best known Chinese dish. Cantonese style is my favourite Sweet and Sour, with it's crispy batter coated chicken and rich thick sauce. It is very easy to make and easily as good (if not better) as buying it from a restaurant.

This is a relatively easy meal to make and takes approximately 30 - 40 minutes in total.

Cantonese Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

• 400g (approx) of Chicken breast
• 8 (approx) Spring Onions (chopped into 2-3cm lengths)
• 3 medium to large Cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)

Batter:

• 6 Tablespoons of Plain Flour
• 6 Tablespoons of Corn Flour
• 180ml of Water
• 1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder / Bicarbonate of Soda

Sauce:

• 6 Tablespoons of Passata (Tomato Ketchup will also work but will give a much richer taste)
• 6 Tablespoons of Chilli Sauce (I use Maggi brand but any will do)
• 2 Teaspoons of Plum Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon of Lea Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Chinese Rice Vinegar
• 1 Teaspoon of Oyster Sauce
• 6 Tablespoons of Water
• 1 Teaspoon of Corn Flour
• 5 Dashes of Pepper
• 4 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar

Preparation:

Add all the ingredients for the sauce into a saucepan, heat gently and mix thoroughly until it becomes a smooth, fairly thick, red sauce. Leave to cool.

Mix the ingredients for the batter in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until the batter is smooth and thick (Should cling slightly to the whisk / spoon).

Cooking:

Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks and add into the bowl with the batter mix. Stir until all the chicken pieces are well coated. Shake off any excess batter and deep fry the coated chicken pieces for approximately 8 - 10 minutes (ensure the chicken is cooked all the way through).

             **I do not have a deep fat fryer so I deep fry the chicken in a wok. If you are going to do this then make sure you have a deep enough wok or big enough saucepan. Heat oil in the wok (enough oil to completely submerge the chicken) and place the chicken pieces in one at a time (I have to do this in 2 separate batches and keep the first batch warm in the oven while I fry the second batch). PLEASE be very careful if frying in this manner. If the oil is heated too highly then it may ignite. It is best to have a fire blanket or damp cloth (damp NOT wet, large enough to cover the wok / saucepan) at the ready, just in case!**

Cover a plate with kitchen towel (paper towel) and transfer the chicken onto it.

Remove all but approximately 2 tablespoons of oil from the wok. Fry the chopped garlic for approximately 2 minutes. Add the spring onion and stir fry for a further 1 minute. Add the sauce and bring to a near boil stirring continuously. Add the crispy battered chicken and stir to evenly coat the chicken in the sauce.

Serve:

Ensure the Sweet and Sour Chicken is piping hot. Serve with boiled / fried rice or noodles.

Char Siu (叉烧) Chinese BBQ Pork

Char Siu

Char Siu is one of my favourite dishes. Pork covered in a sticky, sweet honey and hoisin marinade. It is a Cantonese dish and not strictly Malaysian, however, it is very popular in Malaysia. It is traditionally served with boiled / fried rice or noodles.

This is the first recipe I learned after coming back to the UK from Malaysia, as I missed it far too much to wait until my next visit to have it again and it is not so easy to find here.

Char Siu takes a bit of preparation but is fairly simple to make and well worth it! Hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Char Siu

Ingredients:

• 500g (a little more than 1lb) of Pork Shoulder - Pork belly or Pork loin will also work fine)
• 3 medium to large cloves of garlic chopped finely

Marinade / Sauce:

• 2 Tablespoons of honey
• 2 Tablespoons of hoisin sauce
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Chinese Rice Wine - Japanese Rice Wine (Sake) or dry sherry will also work
• 2 Tablespoons of light soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 3 - 4 dashes of white pepper
• 3 - 4 drops of red food colouring (this will give the char siu the traditional reddish colour but is entirely optional - I do not use it personally)

Preparation: (preferably should be done the day before you wish to cook and eat it).

Place all the ingredients for the marinade / sauce into a saucepan and heat gently until all the ingredients are blended to create a sticky sauce. Pour into a suitable container and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Cut the pork into 4 even strips (ideally roughly 2-3cm in width, although obviously this will depend on the cut of meat) and lay in a cooking dish (or any similar dish). Sprinkle the chopped garlic over the pork and pour over roughly 2/3 of the marinade, making sure both sides of each pork strip is coated. Leave the pork marinading in the fridge over night. Put the remaining sauce in the fridge to keep it fresh.

Cooking:

Take the remaining sauce from the fridge, pour a little of it into a ramekin or small bowl and mix in a tablespoon of cooking oil.

There are 2 simple ways to cook the char siu. One is to use an oven & grill and the other is to use a barbeque.

Oven:

Preheat the oven to 190°C, place the marinaded pork on a wire rack over a grill pan with a little water in the bottom of the pan (this will stop the sauce welding itself onto the pan when it drips). Cook the pork in the oven for roughly 15 - 20 minutes, turning half way through. Grill the pork under a medium high heat, turning occasionally and brushing the meat with a little of the sauce / cooking oil mix. Do this until the meat is starts to char (blacken) slightly on the edges.

Barbeque:

Thread the strips of pork onto separate metal skewers. Heat up the barbeque and cook the meat until it is cooked through and a little charred on the outside.

Serve:

Heat the remaining sauce through in a saucepan and keep warm.

Ensure the meat is thoroughly cooked. Cut each strip into thin slices and place on a plate or serving dish. Pour over the remaining sauce and serve.