serves
4
prep
20 minutes
cook
20 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
4
people
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
20
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Stream free On Demand
Street Food Nomad: Kolkata
series • cooking
PG
series • cooking
PG
Ingredients
Sichuan chilli sauce
- 230 g (about 1 cup) deseeded, rehydrated, chopped big dry red chlili
- 150 g (about ¾ cup) deseeded, chopped big chilli
- ½ cup white vinegar,
- Sunflower oil, for cooking
- 100 g (about ½ cup) minced garlic
- 100 g (about ½ cup) minced ginger
- 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 20 g (about 2 tbsp) ground Sichuan pepper
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp (18 g) salt
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 40 g (about ⅓ cup) Asian celery, chopped
Chicken lollipops
- 1 kg chicken lollipops (see Note)
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chopped small green chilli
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped ginger
- 1 tbsp ground Sichuan pepper
- 1 egg
- 100 g (about ¾ cup) corn flour
- 1 tbsp plain wheat flour
- 50 g (about ⅓ cup) rice flour
- 2 tbsp Sichuan sauce
- Water, as needed
- Red food dye (optional)
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Fresh coriander leaves, red onion and chaat masala, to serve
Instructions
- For the sauce: Blend deseeded rehydrated big dry red chili, deseeded big chili, and ¼ cup of the vinegar into a chilli paste. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant.
- Add chilli paste and cook for a few minutes.
- Stir in tomato ketchup, then reduce heat. Add remaining vinegar, ground Sichuan peppercorn, soy sauce, salt, sugar and 500 ml (2 cups) water. Let it simmer on low heat. Once the oil splits, add Asian celery and stir to incorporate.
- Meanwhile, for the chicken: In a large bowl, mix chicken lollipops with coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, soy sauce, chopped small green chili, garlic, ginger and Sichuan powder. Let it marinate for 5-10 minutes.
- Add egg, corn flour, plain wheat flour and rice flour to the marinated chicken. Mix well.
- Add Sichuan sauce and enough to coat the chicken evenly. Add red food dye for color if desired (it is often used in restaurants but can easily be omitted).
- To fry the chicken: Heat enough oil to shallow fry to 180°C (350°F) in a wok or deep saucepan. Gently drop chicken lollipops, bone side up, into the hot oil and fry, moving gently occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once golden, remove chicken and drain on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil.
- To serve, spread some of the Sichuan sauce on a serving plate and arrange chicken lollipops on top. Garnish with fresh coriander, chopped red onion, and a sprinkle of chaat masala.
Note
Chicken lollipops are made by partially cutting the meat free on wingettes or drumsticks and pushing it down to create a ‘lollipop’ shape. Some butchers sell prepared lollipop chicken, or will do this for you on request.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
Stream free On Demand
Street Food Nomad: Kolkata
