The driving instructor’s Chinese Fried Chicken
It’s been a hectic week of school holidays and birthday parties, and so used the opportunity to test one of Aiyah’s old party favourites – Chinese Fried Chicken. This mildly spiced, crispy yet succulent chicken was as much a hit with the brats as I remember it was with us when we were their age. The audacious young ones, who have been exposed to many cuisines of the world, wondered about the authenticity of the recipe though, never having seen it at a Chinese restaurant. Their education in Indo-Chinese cuisine is sadly lacking, I say.
March and April have always been busy celebration months for the Muthiahs – birthdays and anniversaries galore. It is about this time that Aiyah’s trusted little black diary would’ve reminded him that it was time to head to the shops to buy Ayah’s saris for their anniversary and her birthday (click here to read more about their celebrations). I must say that little black book of his managed to keep his life in order, despite his terrible handwriting, and he was extremely proud that he never missed a meeting, thanks to it – who needs smartphones, said he!
In the midst of our celebrations, our young photographer got the licence to his wheels, reminding me of the saga that was the darling daughters’ driving training. The ever-frugal Ayah had decided that expert driver that she was, she would forgo driving school and teach the darling daughters how to drive herself. Aiyah, having given up driving as a young lad of 40, owing to his arthritis (which explains his terrible handwriting), wisely stayed out of this grand plan. The kitchen master, as the older daughter, was the first guinea pig. Now this guinea pig, the epitome of obedience, was a model student except when she spotted a policeman on the road or even otherwise – then she decided she would slam the brakes and stop in the middle of the road, completely oblivious to the chaos she was causing, just as the cop was unsuspecting of the respect he was being awarded. Anyway, between the two of them and the chauffeur she successfully got her licence.
Then it was the turn of this darling daughter, the less obedient one. Ayah’s rather simplistic view was that she would drive me to college in Taramani, which in those days was the back of beyond, and since early morning starts meant less traffic (yes, it was then), she would swap half way through and give me the steering wheel. But she didn’t know who she was contending with and I’m sure her blood pressure went up a couple of notches during the calls for lefts and the other lefts. When one of those calls of “left, left, left” resulted in her treasured fiat flying off the road and nearly landing in a ditch, she (wo)manfully admitted defeat and turned me over into the hands of more effective professional instructors who succeeded in getting me a driving licence. Learning to drive though, came much later, when the better half following in the footsteps of Ayah decided he would also forgo an instructor and took it upon himself to teach his bride how to drive. His idea of instruction – take a learner to the busiest roads of Sydney and on freeways in the midst of cars flying past at unimaginable speeds. A middle of the highway stop, a near accident and an episode of a rather hormonal bride on said highway put paid to his frugality and he too resorted to the auspices of a driving school and their double braked cars. An act that saved our marriage, I say!
Now what has all this got to do with Ayah’s Chinese Chicken would ask the kitchen master, who takes it upon herself to keep us all en pointe. Absolutely nothing, except that I tested the long forgotten recipe on the day her son got his licence, and so there is a wisp of a connection in the memories. The apprentice though had tested it much earlier and fallen so in love with this easy recipe that he went solo with it, more than once. Ayah may not have been the best driving instructor around, but her quick n easy Chinese Fried Chicken didn’t suffer for it, so do try the recipe out – it makes for a great appetizer at a at a party.
Notes:
1. You can use any cut of chicken you like. I used wings because that's great for a snack. You can use a whole chicken, with bone, cut into curry pieces, about 1 inch. Alternatively, use boneless chicken, but follow recipe modifications given below, if you do.
2. For a vegetarian option, try this recipe with tofu.
Ingredients:
½ kg chicken (preferably with bones), cut into curry pieces (about 1 inch)
½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste
~ 400ml cooking oil for deep frying
For the marinade:
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 vegetable / chicken stock cube
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste (~1/4 tsp)
Pepper to taste (~1/2 tsp)
For the coating:
1/4 cup plain flour / maida
1/4 cup corn flour / cornstarch
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste (~½ tsp)
Pepper to taste (~1/2 tsp)
Ingredients for the marinade
Ingredients for the coating
Method:
1. Preparing the chicken:
½ kg chicken (preferably with bones), cut into curry pieces (about 1 inch)
½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste
(i) Wash and dry the chicken.
(ii) Marinate with ginger garlic paste and pressure cook with ½ cup of water for 3 whistles. Set aside for about 30 minutes for the pressure to release.
(iii) Once the pressure releases, open the cooker, drain and set aside the chicken. Reserve the chicken stock to be used later for chicken soup - this can be frozen too for later use.
Note: If boneless chicken is used, there is no need to pressure cook. Just wash and dry the chicken and proceed to preparing the marinade as below.
2. Prepare the Marinade:
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 vegetable / chicken stock cube
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste (~1/4 tsp)
Pepper to taste (~1/2 tsp)
(i) Blend all the ingredients in the marinade list to a fine paste. There should be no need to add water as the onion should have enough moisture; however, if you need to, add no more than 2 tablespoons of water to make the paste.
(ii) Taste and adjust the seasoning and transfer the paste to a large enough bowl to fit all the chicken pieces.
(iii) Mix the chicken with the marinade until all the pieces are well coated. Marinate for a minimum of 2 hours.
3. Make the coating batter:
1/4 cup plain flour / maida
1/4 cup corn flour / cornstarch
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste (~½ tsp)
Pepper to taste (~1/2 tsp)
(i) Mix the plain flour and corn flour with salt, pepper.
(ii) Add half the water to start with and mix to a thick batter. Make sure there are no lumps. Then add the rest of the water to make a batter that is thick enough to coat the chicken pieces.
(iii) Check the seasoning, add more salt and pepper if required
3. Frying the chicken:
~ 400ml cooking oil for deep frying
(i) Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
(ii) Once the oil is heated, take a piece of marinated chicken and coat in the coating mixture and add to the frying pan. About 3-4 pieces can be fried at the same time. Fry the chicken on a medium flame until golden brown and crispy.
(iii) Once golden brown, remove the chicken and drain the oil.
(iv) Finish frying the rest of the chicken. Serve hot with ketchup or chilli soy sauce.
Serves: 4 people
Apprentice Rating: Easy
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