On Tonight’s Menu: Hot Sweet & Sour Chicken

Hot Sweet & Sour Chicken

This is sweet, spicy, salty and sour – all my favourite flavours in one dish and perfect for a quick midweek supper. You can toss the spiralised courgettes in to heat through if you prefer, or serve them raw. You can also serve this with steamed greens and jasmine rice. Whichever way you go? enjoy!

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2.5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
2 medium red chillies, deseeded and sliced
250g boneless chicken thighs, sliced into 1cm x 2.5cm strips
1 tbsp Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry
250g spiralised courgettes
sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

For the sauce
50ml mirin
1 tsp chilli bean paste
2 tbsp low-sodium light soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp runny honey

Method
Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl, then set aside.

Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking and add the rapeseed oil. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies and toss for a few seconds to release their aroma. Add the chicken and let it settle for 15 seconds to sear and brown, then flip it over and cook for 1 minute. As it starts to brown, add the Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry and cook for a further 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Pour in the sauce and stir-fry until the sauce has reduced and is thick and glossy.

Divide the spiralised courgettes between two plates, arrange the chicken on top, sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds for a nutty garnish and serve immediately.

Extracted from Stir Crazy by Ching He Huang (Kyle Books, approx €23). Photography by Tamin Jones.