Sweet & sour chicken

Ingredients

For 4 servings

• •sunflower or vegetable oil for frying
• •100 ml soda water chilled
• •140 g self-raising flour
• •25 g cornflour
• •4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks
• •spring onions finely shredded, to serve
• •1 red pepper deseeded and chopped into chunks
• •3 red chillies 1 cut into chunks, 2 halved and deseeded
• •425 g can pineapple chunks, drained and juice reserved
• •4 star anise
• •50 g tamarind paste
• •100 g caster sugar
• •100 ml rice wine vinegar or Chinese vinegar

Method

1. 1.For the sauce, put the red pepper, chunks of chilli and pineapple juice in a pan and bring to the boil. Cover and cook for 10 mins, then purée in a food processor.
2. 2.Return to the pan with the pineapple chunks, chilli halves, star anise, tamarind, sugar and vinegar. Gently simmer for 20-30 mins until reduced and sticky. Keep warm, or reheat to serve.
3. 3.Fill a large pan 1cm deep with oil and heat until shimmering. Whisk the soda water and 100ml cold water into the self-raising flour with a little salt. Stir the batter well.
4. 4.Tip the cornflour onto a plate, line a tray with kitchen paper and turn on the oven to low. Dust the chicken with cornflour, then dip into the batter.
5. 5.One at a time, lower into the hot oil (about 5-6 every batch). Turn up the heat to keep the chicken frying, if needed, and cook for 5-6 mins, turning once.
6. 6.When cooked, drain on the tray, and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
7. 7.Stack onto a plate with the warm sauce on the side, and scatter with shredded spring onions.