We just love colorful stir-fries that explode with flavor! And this recipe doesn’t disappoint.
A bit of background: “A stalwart of Desi Chinese cooking, chicken Manchurian is immensely popular at Chinese restaurants across South Asia. Nelson Wang, a third generation Chinese chef who was born in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), is credited with inventing the dish in Mumbai in the 1970s. This recipe comes from attempts at recreating the version served at Hsin Kuang in Lahore, Pakistan, in the late ’90s.”
You may have noticed at restaurants, it’s almost always served on a sizzler platter, the tangy, sweet-and-sour sauce bubbling and thickening on its way to the table. But making it at home doesn’t compromise any of the punchy flavors, in fact you can adjust the spiciness to your own preferences.
Velveting the chicken in egg and cornstarch means it’ll stay tender through the short cooking process; bell pepper, snow peas and onions add freshness and crunch to the otherwise intense flavors from ketchup and chile-garlic sauce.
As is typical, we did make some alterations. The ketchup was cut back by half to limit the sweetness. And last minute, we nixed the dried chiles altogether since their was so much chile-garlic sauce, and it was plenty spicy. Six ounces of snow peas were included for more color and crunch.
Finally at the end, for the slurry, a mere teaspoon of cornstarch wasn’t enough. Start with 1 tablespoon of corn starch in 1/4 cup of cool water combined until smooth. In Step 6, add half of it, and if more is needed, add a tablespoon at a time until you get your consistency. We used it all.
Chicken Manchurian
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup cornstarch, plus 1 Tbsp. for the slurry
- 1 tsp. garlic paste or freshly grated garlic
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- Fine sea salt
- 1½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into ¾-inch cubes
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 whole dried dundicut chiles or bird’s-eye chiles (optional)
- 2-4 Tbsp. ketchup
- ¼ cup chile-garlic sauce
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded and cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 1 small onion, cut into ¾-inch cubes; OR 4 large scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced, more for garnish; OR both
- 6 oz. snow peas, trimmed of strings, cut in half diagonally if large
- Cooked white rice or fried rice, for serving
Directions
- Velvet the chicken: In a medium bowl, whisk the egg. Continue whisking and gradually add 4 tablespoons of cornstarch until there are no lumps. Stir in garlic, black pepper and ½ teaspoon salt. Add the chicken pieces and stir until well coated. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together ketchup, chile-garlic sauce, soy sauce, ½ teaspoon salt and chicken stock (if not using chicken stock, stir in 1 cup water). Set aside.
- In a large wok or deep, high-sided skillet, heat oil on medium for 45 seconds. Add half of the chicken (done in two batches to avoid crowding) and cook until it starts turning white, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pieces and continue cooking until the chicken starts to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken and set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- (Optional) Add dried chiles and cook on medium for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
- Add more oil to the wok. When hot, add the bell pepper and onion. Cook, stir-frying constantly until crisp tender. Add the snow peas and scallions, stirring altogether for about 1 minute more.
- Separately, mix the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with ¼ cup water until smooth. Stir it into the wok and simmer until the sauce thickens and starts to turn glossy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken and stir to combine. Top with scallion slices. Serve over steamed rice.
Adapted from a recipe by Zainab Shah for NYTimes Cooking
Accounting for Taste 
Have ‘lived’ on stir-fried dishes for decades of my life! Living much of it on my own I cannot think of a more practical, tastier and fun way to use up what is sitting in the fridge! Your mention of sizzling plates brought back memories . . . methinks I have enjoyed a dish similar to this under a somewhat different name . . . love your use of snow peas > could eat them every day . . . thanks!
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