Kolkata Chili Chicken

There is a strong Chinese immigrant community in Kolkata. A lot of the so called indo-Chinese food available in India like Hakka Noodles, Chicken Manchurian, Chicken Schezwan were actually brought in by them many generations back and then customized for local palate. These food then slowly spread across India. The Tangra region in Kolkata is filled with Chinese restaurants serving these delicacies.

Kolkata Chili Chicken is one of those dishes. You find them being served in 5 star restaurants to roadside shacks. I first had it in a ship docked at the Kolkata port. The ships chef cooked it for the visiting guests of my brother-in-law who worked in the ship. After that I had chili chicken maybe a thousand times, but each time I am reminded of that great evening in that ship Viswa Ava.

Ingredients

1. Marinade
1. 1 lb. boneless chicken cut into strips ( I used boneless thigh pieces)
2. 1 tsp. ginger paste
3. 1 tsp. garlic paste
4. 1 egg
5. 1 tbsp Dark soya sauce
6. 1 tbsp green chili sauce
7. 1 tbsp corn starch
8. Salt to taste
2. 10 cloves of garlic minced
3. 1 medium sized red onion sliced
4. 1 green bell pepper sliced
5. 5, 6 green chilies
6. Few spring onions chopped
7. 1 tbsp green chili sauce
8. 1 tbsp dark soya sauce
9. 2 tbsp corn starch dissolved in half cup water
10. 1/2 tbsp crushed black pepper corn
11. Salt to taste
12. Canola / sunflower oil

Procedure

Mix all ingredients under the marinade list above and marinate the chicken in refrigerator for 30 mins.

In a wok heat enough oil and deep fry the marinated chicken pieces till they are done and crispy.

In a separate wok heat 2 tbsp. of oil and add chopped garlic; sauté for a while. Add onion and bell pepper slices to it. You’d want the onions and green bell pepper crispy and hence fry them on high heat for a minute.

Add dark soya sauce and green chili sauce. Add about 3-4 tbsp of corn starch mixture to it. Soon it will start bubbling, then add the fried chicken pieces. Toss them well so that all the chicken pieces are nicely coated with the sauce mixture. 

Add chopped green chilies and freshly crushed black pepper powder to it. Check the seasoning and adjust it. I like to add a pinch of sugar at this point. Mix everything well and finish it by sprinkling some chopped spring onions.

I love my chili chicken with hot phulkas. You can serve with fried rice, chowmein or paranthas as well. Or like my husband wash it down with some great single-malt scotch.