Sweet-and-sour Chicken

Ingredients

200 gr chicken breast
16 ml rice wine
30 ml soy sauce
2 gr salt
1 green bell pepper
1 bell pepper
1 carrot
2 scallions
1 egg
16 gr cornstarch
475 ml oil
3 lychees
1 orange in segments
160 ml chicken stock
22 ml chinese rice vinegar
14 gr sugar
18 gr tomato paste
3 gr cornstarch
5 ml water

Instructions

CUT THE CHICKEN INTO 3 cm cubes. Put the cubes into a bowl together with the rice wine or sherry, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and half teaspoon salt, and marinate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the green and red peppers into 3 cm squares. Peel and cut the carrots and scallions into 3 cm chunks. (The uniform size of meat and vegetables adds to the visual appeal of the dish.) Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the carrots in it for 4 minutes, then drain and set aside. Mix the egg and cornstarch in a bowl until they are well blended into a batter. Lift the chicken cubes out of the marinade, put them into a batter and coat each piece well. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or large wok until it is almost smoking. Remove the chicken pieces from the batter with a slotted spoon and deep-fry them. Drain the deep-fried chicken cubes on paper towels. TO MAKE THE SAUCE: Combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, salt, vinegar, sugar and tomato paste in a large saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Add all the vegetables, but not the lychees or oranges, and stir well. In a small bowl, blend together the cornstarch and water. Stir this mixture into the sauce, and bring it back to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Add the lychees or oranges and chicken cubes. Mix well, then turn the mixture onto a deep platter. Serve at once.