Sticky Sriracha Chicken (or Tofu, or Eggplant)

Sweet, sticky, a little bit spicy, and it all comes together in one pan. Make a big batch and you've got the start of rice paper rolls one night and a noodle salad the next, with whatever veggies you've got in the box.

I was lucky enough to taste this at a pot-luck lunch in the form of rice paper rolls with a yummy peanut dipping sauce. I hunted down the cook who graciously shared the formula of the sauce, and here's my adaptation for you:

Ingredients

700g chicken (or firm tofu or eggplant)
2 tbsp cornflour
A good pinch of salt
Olive oil, for pan frying

For the sauce:
1 tbsp sesame oil
3-4 garlic cloves, finely diced
2-3cm ginger, grated
1/4 cup soy sauce (or tamari)
3 tbsp brown sugar
2-3 tbsp sriracha (use less, or leave it out, for a mild, kid friendly version)
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp cornflour (or 2 tbsp for a thicker sauce that really sticks, or leave it out if you want more of a dressing consistency)

Method

1. Cut the chicken into strips (tofu into strips or eggplant into bite size cubes). Toss with the cornflour and salt until coated. Salting at this point will add much more flavour to the end result.

2. Heat a good splash of olive oil in a frypan and fry chicken (tofu or eggplant) until lightly golden, turning frequently. Set aside.

3. In a bowl, whisk together the soy, brown sugar, sriracha, water and cornflour until smooth.

4. In the same pan, heat the sesame oil and cook the garlic and ginger for a minute until fragrant.

5. Pour in the sauce and stir until it bubbles and thickens, about 1-2 minutes.

6. Add the chicken (tofu or eggplant) back in and toss until everything is glossy and coated.

(Good to know: I made this a few weeks ago with a combo of chicken and tofu. The kids "don't like" tofu, and they had no idea they were eating it mixed in with the chicken. That's how good the sauce is🙌🙌)

The chicken is now ready to be used in rice paper rolls or a noodle salad.

From the box last night, I used up some wombok, broccoli, broccolini, cucumber to make this rice noodle salad, with extra coriander + mint to finish it off. Delish!

PS: I didn't have ginger or sriracha yesterday, so subbed in a different chilli sauce + some oyster sauce. Still delish! The best recipes are the ones flexible enough to let you use whatever you have on hand. Once you make this sauce, it's sure to become a favourite in all kinds of versatile ways.

Big Apple Love

Shereen & the Apple Team🍏💚