Fried Prawn Paste Chicken (Har Cheong Gai 虾酱鸡)
The perfect recipe for making zi char style crispy fried prawn paste chicken (har cheong gai 虾酱鸡).
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken drumettes and wingettes
- 3 tbsp prawn paste or shrimp sauce
- 2 - 3 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 tbsp Chinese wine
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 2 tsp MSG optional - I omit this entirely
For the Batter:
- 80 g plain flour
- 80 g potato starch or corn flour
- 100 ml water
- 1 egg
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine prawn paste (shrimp sauce), sugar, sesame oil, wine, and pepper.
- Add chicken pieces and mix till well coated with marinade.
- In a separate bowl, mix all the batter ingredients, and stir with a spoon or whisk, until smooth and free of lumps.
- Add this to the chicken in marinade, and stir until well combined.
- Cover with cling wrap, and set aside (refrigerated) for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, or up to 2 days.
- Fill a wok or skillet with cooking oil to a depth of 1 - 1 1/2 inches. Heat oil to 175 - 180 deg C.
- Fry the chicken pieces in batches, about 4 to 5 at a time (it's a good idea to fry like pieces together). After about half a minute, separate the pieces with wooden chopsticks, to prevent pieces sticking together.
- After about 1 minute, the temperature should have dropped to 160 deg C, if not lower the heat. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until deep golden brown.
- Scoop out with a slotted spoon and drain on a metal rack. Allow the oil to get hot again, before adding the next batch. Repeat until all pieces have been fried.
- Serve immediately, with freshly squeezed lime juice and sweet chilli sauce on the side (optional).
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 186kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 74mg, Potassium: 150mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 86IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a review in the section below, and tag @foodelicacy on Instagram and hashtag it #foodelicacy so I can see!
