Sweet and Sour Chicken

Preparation

• 1
  Remove any skin from the chicken breasts and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Beat the egg in a bowl and combine with a splash of dark soy sauce. Drop the chicken pieces into the egg mixture, stir, and marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge, stirring again half way through the time.
• 2
  Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of cornflour onto a large plate and season well with salt and black pepper. Coat the marinaded chicken pieces lightly with the seasoned cornflour, a few at a time. Heat sunflower oil in a small wok or a pan, deep enough to immerse the chicken pieces. When the oil is really hot, fry the chicken pieces for 2-3 minutes, then turn them and cook for a further 2-3 minutes on the other side, until they are really crisp and golden. Make sure that the chicken is cooked right through. You may need to cook in batches
• 3
  once cooked, drain on kitchen towel and keep on a warm covered plate.
• 4
  Peel and slice the shallots very finely. Deseed and slice the peppers into strips. Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan and gently stir-fry the shallots for 2 minutes before adding the sliced peppers and cooking for a further 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
• 5
  Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a large wok or frying pan, put the tomato puree and the passata, along with a dash of salt and the sugar. Stir in the rice vinegar and the pineapple juice, bring to the boil then simmer gently, stirring from time to time, until the sauce thickens. Adjust thickness, sweetness or sourness to your taste.
• 6
  When the sauce is ready, add the cooked shallots and peppers, and then stir in the fried chicken pieces and cook until everything is piping hot. In the last minute or two, add the pineapple pieces to warm them through too.Serve immediately accompanied by a portion of jasmine rice.