Serves 4-6 Ingredients: 1 kg chicken breast fillets (cubed) 1 onion (chopped) 2 stalks spring onion (sliced with green stems) 1 tsp crushed garlic 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger Juice of 2 lemons 1/4 cup each: dark soy sauce + sweet 'n sour sauce + ketchup + raw cashews (broken) 1 tbsp brown sugar 1/2 cup pineapple juice 1/2 cup preserved pineapple (diced) 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar Flour for dusting Butter + sesame oil Salt + pepper + ginger powder + Chinese spices + nigella seeds + sesame seeds Method: Place chicken cubes in a wide colander. Put colander in the sink. Rinse them well with lemon juice by stirring with a spatula. Lightly dust chicken cubes with a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, ginger powder, Chinese spices, nigella and sesame seeds; to coat. Heat a wok on high. Add butter and oil. Stir fry to sear and slightly brown chicken cubes; in batches; over medium heat. Remove by means of a slotted spatula; upon kitchen paper towels. Add more butter and oil; if needed. Stir chopped onion until translucent. Stir in fresh ginger until fragrant. Season with Chinese spices. Add sauces, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and pineapple juice. Bring to the boil. Return chicken cubes to cook in the sauce; covered, over medium heat and only for 15 minutes. Add garlic, diced pineapple, cashews, spring onion, more sesame and nigella seeds. Stir them in to slightly wilt and incorporate with the rest of ingredients and remove away from heat. Serve stir fry with fried fluffed vermicelli.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 16 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
