Dragon Chicken

This recipe is for Rhea and Aritra, who love the Dragon Chicken at Denzong's Tibetan Place (I prefer the momos and phalay). 'Dragon' chicken is just another way of saying 'super hot chilli chicken', and as much as I love Denzong's, to be perfectly frank, I make a better 'dragon' chicken than them any day. AND, I'd love to see what happens when either Rhea or Aritra try their hands at cooking. Hence this recipe. For those of you who can cook, enjoy the fiery taste :-)

Ingredients:
250 gms of chicken, skinned and washed and preferably deboned.
Ginger and garlic, peeled and minced. Separately.
Soya sauce.
Lemon or lemon juice or vinegar.
Green chilies, dry red chilies.
Red onions, sliced thin.
Capsicum (bell peppers), deseeded and sliced (optional)
Worcestshire sauce (optional)

Cut the chicken into thin pieces no more than two inches big. Marinate the chicken in the juice of a lemon or vinegar and minced ginger. Let it stand for at least two hours.

Now add soya sauce andshredded red chilies. Let it soak the sauce for half an hour. Or twenty minutes.

 

 

 

Here's the point where you make a choice. Either you carefully lift the chicken out of the marinade, dip in an egg/milk batter, dregde in flour sifted with salt and pepper, fry and drain. Or you can opt for the relatively healthier option -- okay, the easier option -- and just fry the chicken by itself. And drain.

Heat oil in the same wok. Or skillet. I'm not picky. Add the minced garlic. Wait till it browns and add the green chilies and capsicum. When the chilies darken a little, add onions and fry on low till they turn translucent.

 

To the ginger/soya/lemon/chilli marinade add half a teaspoon of cornstarch or flour. Mix well. Add it to the frying onions/green chilies/garlic. Fry on medium for a couple of minutes till the flour and the ginger is no longer raw. Pour three cups of water. Add salt and a pinch of sugar. Mix well and let it cook on low for five to ten minutes.

 

Add the (batter)-fried chicken. If using the Worcester sauce, splash it in. Cover and keep cooking on low for the next fifteen minutes. Add more water if the gravy's getting too thick. Take off the flame when the chicken is tender and you have thick enough gravy. Serve over hot rice, by itself, with noodles, even rooti, or with anything else you like (not that we've left much out).