Spring Chicken

Chinese cuisine is widely popular in India. Those Chinese who migrated to Mangalore in the Seventies found a firm base with regular clientele here. I remember Nanking in Milagres Complex Hampankatta and Ho-Pei in Sujatha Hotel Kodialbail, being the earliest Chinese Restaurants opened in Mangalore in the Seventies. One of the specialties both these restaurants had was their crispy golden Spring Chicken.

The name Spring Chicken is derived from the generous use of Spring Onions in it. Unlike its spicy cousins Drums of Heaven and Chicken Lollypop, this is bland and kids love this. Added flavour and taste can be achieved by dipping these in chilli vinegar, hot garlic dip, red chilli sauce and tomato ketchup while consuming.

Recipe:
Kebab size Chicken pieces - 500 Gms
Dark Soy Sauce - 1/2 Tsp
White Vinegar - 2 Tsp
Salt - To taste
White Pepper - 2 Tsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 Tsp
Corn flour - 2 Tbsp
Refined flour - 2 Tbsp
Chopped Spring Onions - 2-3 sprigs
Sugar - 1 Tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp(Optional)
Green Chilli - 1 chopped(Optional)
Refined Vegetable Oil - For deep frying

Method:
Combine vinegar, salt, soy sauce, 1 tsp white pepper powder and ginger garlic paste.
Marinate the chicken pieces for 1-2 hours in this mixture.
Make a thick smooth batter with corn flour, maida, 1 tsp white pepper powder, sugar, salt to taste and baking soda.
Mix in the chopped spring onions and chopped green chilli.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan, dip the chicken pieces in the maida corn flour batter and deep fry till the batter forms a crust.
Drain excess oil and transfer into a colander.
Allow to cool for 15-20 mins and re-fry them in hot oil till crisp and golden.
Serve with red chilly sauce and tomato ketchup.

Note:
You may substitute chicken with small chunks of paneer, mushroom, capsicum or cauliflower.
In that case, mix all the ingredients in the maida corn flour batter, dip the pieces and deep fry them.
Take care while using mushrooms, since they contain high water content.