(Serves 2)
1/2 lb chicken cut into 1/2" thick strips
1/2 tsp ginger, grated or minced
1 tsp soy sauce
black pepper to taste
3" leek, white section, split in half length-wise, washed & dried, then cut into thin strips
4 large garlic cloves, cut in half
1/4 cup vegetable oil (for making the chili oil)
1 jalapeno, de-stemmed and seeded, cut into match sticks
1 fresh red chili, de-stemmed, cut into match sticks
1 green onion, sliced
4 dried red chili peppers
1/2 small white onion, diced small
1 tblsp soy sauce
2 tblsp water
1 tblsp rice vinegar
1 tsp potato starch
2 tblsp rice syrup (or sugar)
1 egg white
1/2 cup potato starch
1 cup vegetable oil (for frying the chicken)
1 tsp sesame oil
Mix the chicken, ginger, soy sauce, and black pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
Add the oil to a medium fry pan heat to medium heat. Add the garlic, when one side of the garlic is golden, flip to the other side and push to one side of the fry pan, now add the leeks to the other side and lightly toss. Once the other side of the garlic is golden remove from the oil and set aside. Once the leeks are almost all golden also remove from the oil and set aside with the garlic.
Lower heat to low, now add the red pepper flakes to the oil, stir around well, turn off the heat. let cool slightly and strain the oil and reserve it.
For the sauce, in a small bowl, mix the 1 tblsp of soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, potato starch and rice syrup or sugar. Mix well, set aside.
Add the egg white to the chicken that was marinating, and then the 1/2 cup of potato starch, mix until the chicken is well coated.
In a large frying an add the cup of vegetable oil and heat to 350 deg. F.
Fry the chicken pieces until crisp, but don't crowd the pan, do it in batches if necessary, this chicken will be fried twice!. Set the chicken aside, after its first fry. Set aside the fry pan with oil (for the second fry).
Now, in a different fry pan, add the spicy oil you made, heat to medium high and add the onions, jalapeno, fresh red chili, dried red chilis and green onion. Saute for a few minutes, meanwhile, in the other fry pan fry the chicken a second time. Now mix the sauce you made and add it to the onions and chilis, quickly stir in, the sauce will tighten up and become thick very quickly.
Now add the twice fried chicken to the sauce, and also add the leeks and garlic from earlier, turn off heat, mix well. Add sesame oil and mix well again.
Serve!