DEEP-FRIED SWEET-AND-PUNGENT CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Prepare a sweet-and-pungent sauce (search for " Category: Sweet-and-Pungent Sauces"). 2. Skin and bone chicken cut in 1-inch cubes. 3. Beat egg lightly stir in soy sauce and salt. Dip chicken cubes in mixture then dredge in cornstarch to coat lightly. 4. Heat oil. Add chicken, a few cubes at a time, and deep-fry until golden. Drain on paper toweling. 5. Reheat sweet-and-pungent sauce. Gently stir in chicken cubes only to reheat. Serve at once. VARIATIONS: * In step 3, sprinkle chicken cubes with the soy sauce and let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Then beat the egg and blend in the salt and 3 tablespoons flour (omit cornstarch) to make a batter. Dip each cube in batter to coat and deep-fry as above. * Use half a chicken. With a cleaver chop it, bones and all, in 1-inch sections. In step 3, coat with a mixture of 5 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons sherry and 1 teaspoon salt then deep-fry. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.