Ingredients
1 whole spring chicken (about 400gms), cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
Sichuan chilli paste (ma la jiang), to taste
Cornstarch, for coating
Oil, for deep-frying
50gm spring onions (white part only), cut into 5-cm lengths
½ tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp cracked Sichuan peppercorns
150gm whole dried chillies
3 tsp chilli oil
Method
1. Rub chicken pieces with salt, sugar and Sichuan chilli paste. Set aside for about 12 hours, then coat with cornstarch. Heat oil to smoking point and deep-fry chicken pieces until golden brown. Drain well and set aside.
2. Clean the wok and add just enough oil to coat its surface. Stir-fry spring onions, garlic, peppercorns and dried chillies until fragrant.
3. Return the deep-fried chicken to the wok and toss for about a minute. Ladle chicken onto a serving dish and serve with a drizzle of chilli oil.
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