Chinese-style wintery rolls
With a little effort, and help from Gordon Ramsay, you can prepare really a special start to your dinner party
Sweet & sour chicken
Serves 4
Easy
Prep:
Cook:
Try an authentic version of this classic Chinese takeaway dish, with natural sweetness and a warm chilli flavour to spice things up
Skip to ingredients
- sunflower or vegetable oilfor frying
- 100ml soda waterchilled
- 140g self-raising flour
- 25g cornflour
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breastscut into chunks
- spring onionsfinely shredded, to serve
For the sauce
- 1 red pepperdeseeded and chopped into chunks
- 3 red chillies1 cut into chunks, 2 halved and deseeded
- 425g can pineapplechunks, drained and juice reserved
- 4 star anise
- 50g tamarindpaste
- 100g caster sugar
- 100ml rice wine vinegaror Chinese vinegar
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal654
- fat20g
- saturates3g
- carbs82g
- sugars50g
- fibre2g
- protein38ghigh
- salt0.57glow
Method
step 1
For the sauce, put the red pepper, chunks of chilli and pineapple juice in a pan and bring to the boil. Cover and cook for 10 mins, then purée in a food processor.
step 2
Return to the pan with the pineapple chunks, chilli halves, star anise, tamarind, sugar and vinegar. Gently simmer for 20-30 mins until reduced and sticky. Keep warm, or reheat to serve.
step 3
Fill a large pan 1cm deep with oil and heat until shimmering. Whisk the soda water and 100ml cold water into the self-raising flour with a little salt. Stir the batter well.
step 4
Tip the cornflour onto a plate, line a tray with kitchen paper and turn on the oven to low. Dust the chicken with cornflour, then dip into the batter.
step 5
One at a time, lower into the hot oil (about 5-6 every batch). Turn up the heat to keep the chicken frying, if needed, and cook for 5-6 mins, turning once.
step 6
When cooked, drain on the tray, and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
step 7
Stack onto a plate with the warm sauce on the side, and scatter with shredded spring onions.
