Sweet and Sour Chicken with Rice

Few dishes strike the balance between sweet and sour as elegantly as sweet and sour chicken. Crispy chicken pieces are bathed in a glossy, golden-red sauce, while pineapple chunks add a sun-ripened touch and bell peppers offer a fresh crunch. It's a Cantonese everyday classic that has traveled all the way from the street kitchens of Guangdong to Danish dining tables. The secret lies in glazing the chicken at the very end so that the crust remains crispy. Serve it steaming hot over fluffy jasmine rice, and you have a dish that tastes like a small feast.

• Cuisine: Chinese
• Prep time: 35 minutes
• Servings: 4 people
• Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Start by cooking the jasmine rice so it's ready at the same time as the chicken. Rinse 3 dl rice, cook it with 4.5 dl water, covered, for 12 minutes, then let it steam until done, still covered.
2. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and toss them thoroughly in cornstarch until each piece is covered with a thin, dry layer.
3. Heat plenty of neutral oil in a wok and fry the chicken in a few batches over high heat until golden and crispy all over. Remove and drain.
4. Quickly stir-fry the bell pepper and onion in the same wok to keep them crisp and slightly crunchy.
5. Mix the sauce from ketchup, rice vinegar, sugar, light soy sauce, and a little water, and whisk in some cornstarch dissolved in cold water to thicken it.
6. Pour the sauce into the wok and let it bubble until it thickens and becomes glossy. Stir in the pineapple chunks to heat them through.
7. Finally, toss the crispy chicken pieces in the sauce to glaze them just before serving, without losing their crunch.
8. Serve over the hot jasmine rice immediately.

Tips

• Taste the sauce as you go: if it needs more acidity, add a splash more rice vinegar; if it's too sharp, a pinch more sugar.
• For a vegetarian version, swap the chicken for firm tofu cubes, coated in cornstarch in the same way.
• Stir a tablespoon of sweet chili sauce into the sauce if you like a sweeter and slightly spicier touch.
• Cooked sweet and sour chicken keeps for a couple of days in the fridge, but reheat it in a hot wok rather than the microwave to prevent the coating from becoming soggy.