Blood Orange Chicken. My love of sweet ‘n’ sour often got me teased by my parents as a kid, them jokingly disowning me. Things like sweet and sour chicken balls/pork are seen as “inauthentically-Chinese”. Here is my elevated take on a food court fave. The bitterness of Blood Orange, lime, mild heat of chilli and Sambal give this dish a bit of mystery. Enjoy! 🍊🌶️
Chicken:
4 chicken breasts, sectioned to bite-size pieces and seasoned in sea salt
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup corn starch
3 eggs, beaten
Sea salt and pepper taste
Canola oil
Blood Orange Sauce:
1/2 cup Tropicana Orange Juice (no pulp)
3 Blood Oranges juiced (reserve zests of 2)
1 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 cup organic raw sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sambal
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 chili, seeds removed and minced
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 green onion stalk, minced for garnish
Cilantro, minced for garnish
Instructions:
1. Heat Canola oil in large skillet, medium-high.
2. Prepare coating in a dish mixing flour, corn starch, sea salt and pepper to taste.
3. Beat eggs in bowl.
4. Dip each chicken piece in egg wash and then flour coating. Once oil is hot, place pieces in oil, careful not to overcrowd.
5. Fry pieces till golden and not too dark. Takes about 4-5 minutes approximately per batch.
6. Place chicken on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
7. Once all chicken is fried, prepare sauce in another skillet.
8. On medium-high heat, sautée chilli, garlic, ginger and Sambal. Add sugar and cook till it caramelizes.
9. Add-in Blood Orange juice, zest and lime juice, stirring till sugar dissolves. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar and bring to quick boil. Add Tropicana and bring to boil. Taste with spoon to ensure flavour balance is right. If not, adjust with rice vinegar, sugar or salt accordingly.
10. Run sauce through strainer, and return to skillet. Bring to boil. In small dish, mix tapioca starch and equal part water to form paste. Stir it into the Blood Orange sauce till it thickens to the consistency of a glaze.
11. Toss-in fried chicken and coat evenly in sauce. Sprinkle cilantro and green onion. Serve.
Gallery:
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(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Fried Fish in Cream Corn Sauce and Vegetable Fried Rice. This fish dish is one of my favourite things and if you haven’t ever had it, you need to get on-board!
Fried Fish:
600g of meaty white fish fillets (Monkfish, Basa are perfect for this), cut into chunks
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Canola oil for frying
1 stalk green onion, chopped
Cream Corn Sauce:
1 egg
1 can Cream Corn
Sea Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Brine fillets in salt water overnight.
2. In a larger skillet, heat oil on medium-high.
3. Combine flour, cornstarch, sea salt and black pepper
3. Pat dry fillets with paper towel. Dip fillet pieces in egg wash and then flour mixture till coated fully and place into oil, 4-5 pieces at a time.
4. Once golden on each side, remove fish pieces and line on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
5. Prepare Cream Corn Sauce. Heat corn on medium heat, add in 1/3 can of water, add-in salt and pepper.
6. When sauce comes to a slight boil, add in beaten egg, stirring gently till egg clouds form in the sauce.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Transfer fish pieces to a platter and pour corn sauce over. Garnish with green onion. Serve with fried rice or white rice.
Vegetable Fried Rice:
4 cups of cooked white rice, chilled overnight
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 sweet red pepper, diced
3 stalks of Chinese Broccoli, sliced thin
1/2 carrot, diced
1/4 cup green peas
1 stalk green onion, chopped
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons oil
Instructions:
1. Heat oil in large skillet in medium-high heat.
2. Toss-in all carrots, peas, Chinese Broccoli, green onion and red peppers. Sautée for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add-in beaten egg and salt and pepper. Stir with spatula gently till combined with vegetables.
4. Once egg is almost cooked, add-in rice. Stir with spatula till rice, eggs and vegetables are evenly dispersed.
5. Fry for about 5 minutes or until rice is about to caramelize. Remove from heat and serve.
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