Sweet And Sour Chicken

Sweet And Sour Chicken

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 c. baby carrots
1 cucumber
1/2 red bell pepper
1 garlic clove

Marinade
2 tsp. Chinese rice wine or Dry Sherry
1 tsp. cornstarch, corn flour

Batter
1-2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 T. potato starch*

Sauce**
4 1/2 T. rice vinegar
1 1/2 T. black rice vinegar
3/4 c. water
3 T. tomato paste
4 1/2 T. brown sugar
3/8 tsp. chile sauce, or to taste
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch, mixed with 6 tsp. water

3 1/4 c. oil for deep-frying, and stir-frying

Cut the chicken into 1/2" cubes. Marinate in
the Rice wine or Sherry and cornstarch, for 30 mins.
While the chicken is marinating:

Prepare the vegetables:
Mince the garlic clove. Peel, and cut the cucumber
into thin slices, and cut the red pepper into cubes.
Chop the baby carrots. Bring a lg. pot of water to
boil and blanch the carrots briefly in the boiling
water. Drain thoroughly. In a small saucepan, add
the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce
and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low. and
keep warm.

To deep-fry the chicken:
Preheat 3 c. of oil to 350-375F. While waiting for
the oil to heat, brush the chicken cubes with the
beaten egg, and dip in the potato starch, to cover.
Deep-fry the dredged chicken pieces in batches,
being careful not to overcrowd the wok. Deep-fry for
3-4 mins., until the chicken turns golden brown. Drain
on paper towels. To deep-fry the chicken a second time
if desired: Bring the oil temperature up to 400F.
Deep-fry the chicken in batches, very briefly for
ess than 1 min., until the chicken turns brown. Drain
on paper towels. Drain all but 2 T. oil from the wok.

When oil is hot, add the garlic, and stir-fry
briefly until aromatic. Add the carrots. Stir-fry
for about 1 min., then add the red peppers. Add
the cucumber or save to use as a garnish. Bring
the sauce back up to a boil, and add to the wok,
mixing with the vegetables. Add the chicken. Heat
through, and serve over rice. Garnish with the
cucumber, if desired.

*Cornstarch can be substituted for the potato starch.

**This recipe is designed to make extra sauce for
mixing in with the rice.

It can easily be adjusted either up or down, depending
on how much sauce you want. Just be sure to keep the
proportions constant.

For 3/4 lb. of chicken, reduce quantities by 1/3(ie.
use 3 T. rice vinegar, 1 T. black rice vinegar,
1/2 c. water, 2 T. tomato paste, etc.)