Recipe for Hot &Sweet Chicken and the newest addition to our pantry.

Chilli-Chicken , the Indo-Chinese preparation, is one of my all time favorites. There are many restaurants in Kerala who make this exceptionally well , at least there used to be. There are couple of Indian-restaurants here in valley who make really tasty versions of it. However, I am in constant fear of what salts are going in them and hence decided to try and make it at home. I was not following any recipe , and just used some sauces and other ingredients which I thought I had tasted in the traditional preparation. Guess what I ended up with , a really great recipe for Hot-n-Sweet Chicken. So while my quest for the Chill-Chicken continues, I would love to share the Hot-n-Sweet recipe with you all.
A friend told me that it is the Chilli sauce that makes all the difference in these preparations..sadly enough I forgot to ask her for recommendations. Later on went ahead and got a bottle of the Tabasco Green Chilli Sauce , and I have used it rather liberally here in this recipe.
I made this quite late in the evening and had a rather hungry group waiting for the grub. No need to mention, the portion vanished before I could take a picture. So please excuse me for not putting up the photo this time. However if you do get to making this at home you are more than welcome to send me a shot , and I will make sure to post it here ( of course, with due courtesies !). Happy Cooking everyone !

Yields : 6-8 servings
Prep time : -15 min for prepping the marinade
-Overnite for the marinade
-30 minutes before serving

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( cut into small bite size pieces )
  

For the batter

• 3 Green chillies ( I used the Thai ones , you could use any small hot variety )
• 4 medium cloves of garlic
  
• 1" piece of ginger
  
• 1 tbs Soy Sauce
  
• Salt
  
• 1/2 tsp Crushed pepper corns
• 3 tbs corn starch ( mixed in 4 oz/ half glass water)

Other Ingredients

• 1 cup oil for deep frying
• 2-3 Tbs oil for the saute
• 4 medium cloves of garlic minced
  
• 1" piece of ginger minced
  
• 3 Tbs of tomato ketchup
  
• 2 Tbs of green chilli sauce
  
• 1 Tbs of Soy Sauce
• Salt
  
• 1 tsp Crushed Pepper Corns
  
• 1 big onion ( cut into 1" squares / chunks)
• 2 bell peppers ( cut into 1" squares )

Procedure:

• Making the batter :Grind together green chillies, garlic and ginger to a smooth paste. Mix the corn-starch in water. Add salt, pepper and the ground paste. Mix well.
• Toss in the chicken pieces to the batter and leave covered in the refrigerator, overnight.
  

• Deep frying the chicken pieces: In a medium pan heat oil. Fry the chicken pieces in small batches , each batch should take about 5 minutes to be cooked. Leave the fried pieces on a paper towel to absorb the extra grease.
  

• Making the stir-fry: Set a large skillet in high heat and add oil. Once the oil is smoking hot toss in the minced ginger and garlic.
  
• Wait for the ginger n garlic to turn brown ; add salt , pepper and the sauces ( tomato, green chilly n soy). Mix well.
  
• Add the fried chicken pieces and mix well so that they are covered well in the sauces.
• Toss in the onion and bell pepper. Saute for couple of minutes in high heat.
  
• Remove from heat.

LifeSaver : The salt, pepper, tomato sauce and chilly sauce quantities are variable. Check for taste in between and adjust the quantities accordingly.