San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
TAIWANESE POPCORN CHICKEN WITH FRIED BASIL
This spiced fried chicken is a staple in the night markets of Taiwan. This recipe happens to be gluten-free thanks to the tapioca flour, which imparts the dish’s signature crunch.
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon ground white pepper 4 teaspoons kosher salt
6 cups vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns or whole black peppercorns 1 cup (115 grams) tapioca flour 1 cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions: In a large bowl, season chicken thighs with soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, white pepper and 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Set aside to marinate about 1 hour at room temperature, or refrigerate it overnight.
Fit a medium pot with a cooking thermometer and heat vegetable oil over medium to 350 degrees. Coarsely grind peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, and mix with the remaining kosher salt. Set aside.
Wet your hands and toss marinated chicken with tapioca flour and about 1 tablespoon water until the tapioca flour looks like small beads and clings to the chicken. (Adding a little moisture to your chicken helps the tapioca flour form small beads that will also stick to the chicken and give it a very crunchy crust.)
Working in batches, add the battered chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, 5-7 minutes. Transfer fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and season each batch with peppercorn.
Fry basil leaves until translucent and crisp, 1-2 minutes, then scatter over the fried chicken. Serve with leftover peppercorn mixture for sprinkling to taste.
Notes: This recipe uses some spices that cannot be left out: fivespice powder and white pepper. If you can’t find Sichuan peppercorns, use black peppercorns.
Makes 4-6 servings
From Sue Li