Crisp cornflour-battered chicken in a bright, tangy sauce built from tomato, vinegar and pineapple juice - no lurid bottled sauce anywhere near it.
Prep
20 mins
Cook
20 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£1.83
Difficulty
medium
Sweet and sour gets a bad name because of the bottled stuff. Made properly the sauce is thin, sharp and clings rather than gloops, and the pineapple is added at the end so it keeps its shape.
Toss the chicken with the beaten egg and a good pinch of salt, then tumble it through 6 tablespoons of the cornflour until thickly coated. Shake off the excess.
Whisk the pineapple juice with the ketchup, vinegar, sugar and the remaining 2 tablespoons of cornflour.
Heat the oil in a deep pan to 180C. Fry the chicken in three batches for 4 minutes each, until pale gold, and drain on kitchen paper.
Turn the heat up and fry the drained chicken a second time, all together, for 90 seconds. Drain again.
The double fry is what keeps the coating crisp under the sauce.
Pour off all but a tablespoon of oil. Stir-fry the pepper and onion for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds.
Pour in the sauce and simmer for 2 minutes until it thickens and turns glossy. Stir in the pineapple chunks to warm through.
Tip in the chicken, toss twice and serve immediately with rice, before the coating softens.