Chicken balls in sweet & sour sauce

Method

• step 1

  Tip the chicken thighs into a food processor and blitz until a fine paste forms. Tip into a large bowl along with the garlic, ginger, spring onions, white pepper, Shaoxing rice wine, both soy sauces, sesame oil, egg, cornflour and ½ tsp salt. Stir to combine well. Using wet hands, take a medium golf ball-sized mound and roll into a ball. Set aside on a plate and repeat until all the mixture is used. Chill for at least 30 mins, and reshape if needed before cooking.

• step 2

  Pour the rapeseed oil into a large wok or saucepan and put over medium high heat, slowly add the meatballs into the oil and brown until golden, cooking for 8-10 mins, turning halfway. Lift the chicken balls out and set aside.

• step 3

  Meanwhile, make the sweet and sour sauce. Pour the vegetable stock, pineapple juice, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, golden syrup and cornflour into a jug, mix well and set aside.

• step 4

  Pour all the oil from the pan into a heatproof bowl. Set the pan back over high heat until smoking, then drizzle in 1 tbsp of the drained oil. Give the oil a swirl and add the garlic, ginger, onion and red chilli. Stir-fry for 1 min, until the onion starts to caramelise. Add some pineapple chunks from the can, then pour in the sweet and sour sauce and bring to the bubble. Cook until the sauce has deepened in colour, reducing for 15 secs. Add the chicken balls back in, gently coat in the sauce and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 mins before serving (take care not to leave the chicken in the sauce for too long or the meat may break apart). Serve immediately with some chilli sauce, too, if you like.