Tangerine Chicken

One great thing about living in Singapore is you get to go around some great Asian destinations in just few hours by flight. One of the interesting countries I’ve visited is Vietnam. I went there around 2 years ago – to Hanoi and a small town in the hills called Sapa Valley. We didn’t stay at Hanoi since we planned to visit the Halong Bay, but we did have a few hours to go around the city. We visited the street markets and had coffee at some old French cafe there. It was interesting to note the number of two wheeler riders there… the street seemed full of them and it was the first place I had seen more two wheelers than cars 🙂

Halong Bay was one of the most spectacular creations of nature I’ve seen – the bay has a dense cluster of around 1,600 islands which rise from the ocean and is filled with thick vegetation. Sapa Valley on the other hand was a unique experience with hiking in the midst of rice fields, beautiful waterfalls and view points 🙂

Coming to the best part – Vietnamese cuisine, the common ingredients being different types of sauces, rice, fruits and vegetables. So here’s the first Vietnamese recipe I tried in my kitchen – Tangerine Chicken. I had fresh oranges and some chicken in stock and this felt like a new set of offbeat flavors to indulge in. In the end not only the flavors but even the look of the dish turned out to be extremely inviting!

Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Cooking oil – 2 to 3 tablespoons

Chicken – 600 g (with bone), cut into small pieces

Orange/Tangerine – juice of 1 large orange

White Onion – 1 large, chopped

Chicken stock – 3/4 to 1 cup

Black pepper – 1/2 tablespoon

Salt – to taste

For the sauce:

Honey – 2 tablespoons

Dark Soy Sauce – 2 teaspoons

Chili sauce – 2 teaspoons

Tomato sauce – Around 4 to 5 tablespoons

Mix all the ingredients of the sauce in a bowl to make the sauce mixture and keep aside.

Step 1: Heat oil in a wok or large pan. Saute the chicken along with the pepper until the chicken is slightly browned.

Step 2: Add the onions and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Follow by adding the sauce mixture, orange juice and chicken stock. Since the mixture now has a lot of water, you’ll need to cook it for another 10 to 15 minutes until you have the desired consistency. Add salt to taste as required.