Indonesian Black Pepper Chicken

This recipe for chicken has become my standby for the majority of asian chicken dishes, especially Chinese dishes. I found it on a recipe card in a super market in Hong Kong and have used to it make a numerous dishes including Honey Soy Chicken, Schezwan Chicken, Honey Pepper Chicken and Zuo Zong Tang Ji (Sweet and Spicy Chicken). When I saw the recipe for Indonesian Black Pepper Prawns in this months issue of Delicious I knew it would be perfect to add to my chicken repertoire.

I know that most people wouldn't substitute prawns out of a dish in favour of chicken but we have such a good garlic prawn recipe that it seems like a waste to prepare prawns and then not make garlic prawns. And this dish deserves to be enjoyed without guilt. 

Ingredients:

Sauce and spice mix adapted from Delicious Magazine. 

Chicken batter adapted from city'super What's Cooking Card

Serves 4

2 Chicken Thighs (cubed)

6 stalks Broccolini (chopped) 

1 Spring Onion (chopped)

1/4 cup Curry Leaves

2 cups Canola Oil

Batter (for chicken):

2 tsp Light Soy Sauce

1/2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce

1 Egg Yoke

2 tbsp Rice Flour

2 tsp Peanut oil

Spice Paste:

1 tsp Shrimp Paste

1tbsp whole Black Peppercorns

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

2cm piece fresh Ginger (chopped)

2 spring Onions (chopped)

Sauce:

2 tbsp Kecap Manis (Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce)

2 tbsp Oyster Sauce

1 Cup Chicken Stock

Process:

1) Place all ingredients for spice paste in a mortar and pestle. Grind until a consistent paste is formed. Add spring onions. Set aside.

2) Combine all ingredients for sauce in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.

3) For Batter combine light soy, dark soy and egg yoke in a bowl. Add chicken coating evenly. Mix in rice flour, mixture will be sticky and the chicken will not look evenly coated. Gently stir in oil.

4) Heat canola oil in a wok over a high heat. When oil is almost smoking fry chicken in batches placing in a bowl lined with paper towel when they are crisp and deep brown. Fry curry leaves at the end of the last batch, watch out they will spit. Set aside.

5) Dispose of all but 2 tbsp of oil. I like to store mine in a glass bottle to use again. Heat wok over medium high heat. Add spice paste and stir fry for 1 - 2 mins.

6) Add Sauce to wok. Mix spice mix through. When sauce starts to thicken add the chicken and curry leaves. Cook for about 4 mins then add the broccolini and extra spring onions. Cook for a further minute or until the broccolini is a deeper green but still crunchy. 

7) Serve with steamed rice