The Perfect Crispy Salted Chicken: A Restaurant-Worthy Dish to Impress Your Family

Ingredients for Salt and Pepper Chicken (Serves 3)

Chicken thighs: 400g

Kaffir lime leaves: 5

Garlic cloves: 4

Ginger: 50g

Lemongrass stalks: 4

Sticky rice: 100g

Mung beans: 100g

Tapioca starch: 100g

Egg yolk: 1

Fish sauce: 1 teaspoon

Vegetable oil: 1 cup

Seasoning powder/salt: a pinch

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the chicken

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Soak the chicken in a diluted brine solution for about 7-10 minutes to remove any unpleasant odors. Rinse with clean water and set aside in a colander to drain.

Step 2: Prepare the other ingredients

Peel and crush the garlic cloves. Finely chop the kaffir lime leaves. Peel and slice the ginger into thin strips.

Clean the lemongrass stalks, cut them into sections, and bruise them with a pestle or the flat side of a knife. Then, tear them into thin strips.

Step 3: Marinate the chicken

In a bowl, combine the chicken with the crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, and 1 egg yolk. Mix well with chopsticks and let the chicken marinate for about 15-20 minutes to absorb the flavors.

Step 4: Make the salted pepper mix

Before frying, soak the sticky rice and mung beans in water for about 15-20 minutes to soften them.

Heat a pan over medium heat. Add the sticky rice and mung beans, stirring continuously for about 15 minutes until they are dry and golden. Then, add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of peppercorns, and continue frying for another minute.

Step 5: Fry the lemongrass and ginger

Transfer the fried rice and bean mixture to a mortar and pestle or a food processor, and grind it into a fine powder. Pour it into a bowl.

Heat a cup of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully add the lemongrass strips and fry them gently with chopsticks to avoid splattering. Fry for about 3-4 minutes, until the lemongrass turns golden brown. Remove the lemongrass with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with paper towels or a wire rack.

Next, add the ginger strips to the hot oil and fry for about 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon or a wire skimmer to remove the ginger and place it on a plate to drain excess oil.

Step 6: Coat and fry the chicken

Heat a sufficient amount of vegetable oil in a pan or wok. Coat each piece of chicken with tapioca starch and carefully place them into the hot oil. Fry for about 5-7 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the oil and place it in a large bowl.

Step 7: Final touches

After frying the chicken, add the ground salt and pepper mix to the bowl of chicken and toss to coat evenly. On a serving plate, create a bed of fried lemongrass. Arrange the chicken pieces on top and sprinkle with the fried ginger and kaffir lime leaves.