Chicken 65

Ingredients

• 600 g chicken thigh, boneless and cut into 3 cm cubes
• 100 g plain yogurt
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 20 g fresh ginger, finely grated
• 4 garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp rice flour
• 5 dl vegetable oil, for frying
• 20 curry leaves
• 3 fresh chilli, slit lengthwise

Method

1. 1.

   Marinate the chicken — Mix the chicken with half the yogurt, 1.5 tsp of the chilli powder, the turmeric, ginger, garlic, half the lemon juice and the salt. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

2. 2.

   Bind the batter — Beat the egg into the marinated chicken, then work in the cornstarch and rice flour. You want a thick batter that clings to each cube without dripping — add a spoonful more rice flour if it slides off.

3. 3.

   Fry until brick red — Heat the oil in a deep pan to 175 C. Fry the chicken in three batches for about 5 minutes each, moving the pieces once the crust sets, until deep brick red and crisp. Drain on a rack, not on paper.

4. 4.

   Crisp in a second fry — Raise the oil to 190 C and return all the chicken for a final minute. This second frying drives off the surface moisture and is what keeps the crust crunchy once it is sauced.

5. 5.

   Temper the curry leaves — Pour off all but 2 tbsp of the oil. Drop in the curry leaves and slit chillies and let them crackle for 20 seconds, then take the pan off the heat and stir in the remaining yogurt whisked with the last of the chilli powder.

6. 6.

   Coat in the red glaze — Tip in the fried chicken and toss hard for 30 seconds so every piece takes on the red glaze without going soft. Finish with the remaining lemon juice and serve immediately, while it still crackles.