Fresh green chili – 2, deseeded & sliced thinly lengthwise
Fresh red chili – 2, deseeded & sliced thinly lengthwise
Onion – 1, small, finely chopped
Dry red chili – 4 to 6
Sesame oil – ¼ tsp
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
Cut the boneless & skinless chicken thighs into small pieces. Take the chicken into a bowl and add soy sauce, ginger paste and black pepper. Mix them well and let it chill for 15 minutes.
Heat ⅓ cup of vegetable oil in a skillet.
Add the leek juliennes and sliced garlic. Saute them until they turn golden brown and soft. Take them out leaving the oil in the skillet and set aside in a bowl.
Now add the red chili flakes to the same oil and saute on low heat for about 5 minutes or until the oil turns deep red and get infused with all the spiciness from the chili.
Strain the oil into a bowl and discard the chili flakes. Set the oil aside.
In a bowl mix all the items listed under ‘Sauce’ – light soy sauce, water, vinegar, brown sugar and corn flour. Give it a good mix and set aside.
Take the marinated chicken out from the refrigerator and add 2 egg whites and about ¾ cups of corn flour. It may seem a lot but trust me that’s where all the crispiness comes from! So be generous!
Mix the chicken well preferably with hand so that each piece is coated generously with the egg white and corn flour.
Heat enough vegetable oil for deep frying the chicken pieces. Fry the chicken pieces in batches so that they do not cling to each other and become crispy and light golden. Take them out.
Once all the chicken pieces are fried, re-fry them again in batches until nice golden brown and super crispy. Take them out and set aside.
In another skillet, heat the chili oil prepared earlier. Add chopped onion, dried red chilies and sliced fresh green and red chilies. Saute them on low heat until golden brown for about 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the prepared sauce mixture and cook it stirring continuously until it thickens. If it seems to be too dry and not enough to coat all the chicken pieces, feel free to add couple of tablespoons of water and mix well.
Now add the fried chicken pieces and toss them well with the sauce so that each piece is coated nicely with the hot and sweet sauce.
Finally sprinkle the fried leek and garlic, reserving some for garnish. Drizzle the sesame oil for extra flavor and give a final good mix.
Garnish with reserved fried leek and garlic and serve the hot garlic fried chicken immediately! Enjoy!
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://www.flavorquotient.com/2017/03/hot-garlic-fried-chicken/