This recipe is based on a recipe by Darlene Schmidt (a devotee of Thai cooking). Sometimes these Asian recipes don’t taste like what you get in a restaurant but this one comes really close. The “frying” of the chicken pieces before adding to the sauce is what does the trick. Prep and cooking is surprisingly easy.
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 2-3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch-long pieces
- 1/2 large red bell pepper (OR a 1 whole well-drained roasted pepper) sliced into 1/2″ wide strips
- 4 scallions sliced once length-wise (optional)
- 1/4 cup oil for pan-frying
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour mixed with 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4-1/2 cup fresh cilantro (coarsely chopped)
- 3-4 Tbsp. coconut milk and/or water
Mango Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 fresh ripe mango. Fruit scooped out. (optional: 2nd mango to add later)
- 1 fresh red chili, de-seeded and diced OR 1 tsp. dried crushed chili (to-taste on this as chilis really vary in “heat”)
- 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1-2 teaspoons brown (or raw) sugar (to taste)
- 1/4-1/2 inch slice of ginger root (roughly chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- Zest of 1 lime (zest it before you “juice it” above)
Directions:
1. Place all ‘Mango Sauce’ ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process well, until more or less smooth.
2. Taste-test the sauce. The goal is to reach a balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty. Add more sugar if you find the sauce too sour (this will depend on the sweetness of your mangoes). If not spicy enough, add more chili. If not salty enough, add more fish sauce. If too salty or too sweet, add more lime juice. Set aside.
3. Stir the flour and salt together and put in resealable storage bag. Add the chicken pieces and turn gently to coat.
4. Heat a wok or frying pan (I used my trusty ScanPan) over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then begin frying the chicken pieces. Don’t crowd them. Fry 3-5 minutes per side, or until light golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan with a slotted spoon or tongs and set on paper towels. Briefly saute the sliced scallions and red peppers (they should not be limp) and save with the browned chicken.
5. Wash out the wok/frying pan, or use another (clean) one. Set over medium-high heat and add the mango sauce. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer (medium to low heat) and add the red peppers and scallions. If sauce becomes too thick, add 3-4 Tbsp. water or coconut milk (or more if needed). Simmer 3-4 minutes, or until pepper has softened slightly but still retains some crispness.
6. Add the fried chicken pieces, gently stirring them in to cover with sauce. Add about tablespoon of fresh cilantro and, if desired, add chunks of mango (fruit of 1/2 to 1 ripe mango) too. Simmer briefly, just until everything is hot.
7. Do a final taste-test for salt (tasting the sauce together with the chicken). Add a little more fish sauce or chili to achieve the balance you want.
8. Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle with the rest of the fresh cilantro. I served with brown Jasmine Rice (to make it a little healthier). You can also serve with white Thai jasmine-scented rice.
