Taiwanese three cup chicken with Thai basil
Crispy fried chicken in a rich and salty three cup sauce. The claypot adds effect for serving, but isn't essential.
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 free-range egg white
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- ½ tsp cornflour
- 240g/8½oz corn-fed chicken thighs, boneless, skinless and cut into cubes
- 5 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú onion, cut into 4cm/1½in dice
- 6 dried chillis
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 2cm/¾in fresh root ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 spring onions, cut into 4cm/1½in batons
- 2 tbsp Thai basil, plus 1 tbsp to garnish
For the three cup sauce
- 1 tsp ground bean sauce (soybean sauce)
- 1 tsp chilli bean sauce
- 2 tsp seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp cornflour
Method
To make the chicken, mix together the egg white, light soy sauce, oyster sauce and cornflour in a large bowl. Add the chicken and marinate for 20 minutes.
Heat the oil to 180C in a wok, checking the temperature with a kitchen thermometer. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Add the chicken carefully to the wok and fry for 1 minute. Add the onion, dried chilli, garlic, ginger and spring onion and fry for a further 30 seconds.
Remove all of the ingredients from the wok using a slotted spoon to allow the oil to drain away and drain the ingredients on kitchen paper. Set aside the oil in a different bowl and clean the wok.
To make the three cup sauce, mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl.
Heat the wok again over a high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil back into the wok and add the Thai basil. Gently stir-fry for 10 seconds, then add the chicken mixture back to the wok. Add the three cup sauce and stir-fry until the sauce is reduced and sticky.
Heat a lidded clay pot on the hob then transfer the chicken mixture into the pot, garnish with the remaining basil, close the lid and serve.
