Ingredients

1. Chicken (boneless) - 200 gms

Marinade

2. Chilli paste – 1/2 tsp
3. Garlic (chopped) - 1/2 tsp
4. Salt - as per taste
5. Pepper powder – a pinch or 1/4 tsp
6. Egg – 1
7. Corn flour – 3 tbsp

Sauce

8. Oil - 2 tbsp
9. Garlic cloves (big, chopped) – 2 tbsp
10. Onion (medium, chopped) – 1
11. Chilli paste – 2 to 3 tsp
12. Spring onion (chopped) - 2
13. Sugar - 1 tsp
14. Ajinomoto (MSG) - 1/4 tsp or a pinch
15. Chicken cube (I use knorr brand) – 1
16. Water – 1 1/3 cup
17. Salt - a pinch
18. Tomato ketchup - 3 1/2 or 4 tbsp
19. Black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
20. Dark soya sauce (optional) - 1 tsp
21. Corn starch - 2 tsp corn flour + 1/2 cup water

Additional ingredients

22. Red capsicum – 1/4
23. Green capsicum – 1/4
24. Yellow capsicum – 1/4
25. Spring onion (green part) – 1
26. Onion – 1/2

Method

Marinating and frying the chicken pieces

1. Take a bowl add all the marinate ingredients and mix well. Whisk the egg properly, add the chicken pieces and mix well. Keep it aside. Marinate for half an hour.
2. Preheat the kadai with sufficient oil, when it is hot, add the chicken pieces one by one and fry it in batches.
3. Cook the chicken pieces on medium flame, when it is golden brown and cooked well, keep it aside.

For the sauce

4. Chop the onions, garlic and spring onions and keep it aside. Keep few spring onions (green part) for garnishing.
5. Chop the capsicum (you can use any colour) and onion into chunks or square shapes.
6. For the chilli paste, I have taken Kashmir chillies I soaked 10 dry chillies in hot water or warm water for a few minutes. When it becomes soft, grind it into a paste and use as required. You can store it in the fridge or freezer.
7. For the corn starch, mix the water and corn flour well. Keep it ready.

Cooking the sauce

8. Take a wide pan or kadai, add oil, when its hot adds onions, spring onions, stir well, and cook for 1 to 2min.
9. Add garlic stir for few second, add chilli paste, and stir well for 2 to 3min on medium flame, donot burn it.
10. Add 1/2 cup water, so that chilli paste does not burn. Cook until the water gets absorbed.
11. Now add tomato ketchup, chicken cube (Knorr brand), ajinomoto and sugar. Stir for 1 to 2 mins, then add 1/2 cup water again and cook for a few minutes until the rawness of chilli paste is gone and the sauce forms a good consistency.
12. When the rawness of chilli paste is gone, and the sauce is cooked well, add 1/3 cup water and soya sauce and mix well. Add vegetables and a few spring onions, mix and allow it to cook for about 1 min.
13. Add corn starch and cooked chicken pieces, mix and cook for about 2 mins on medium flame until all the chicken pieces are blended well with the sauce and other ingredients and then simmar for about 2 mins. Garnish with some spring onions.
14. When the sauce thickens and is cooked well, you can switch it off. You can see now that the sauce has coated the chicken pieces well.
15. Taste it, if it is very spicy just try to adjust with little more tomato ketchup, add little water and sugar also, if needed.
16. It is gravy type. It’s spicy and tastes good also.
17. I have served it with vegetable fried rice.

Notes

1. For chilli paste, I have taken Kashmir chillies I soaked 10 dry chillies in hot water or warm water for sometime. When it becomes soft, grind it into a paste. You can store it in the fridge or freezer.
2. I cooked it on medium heat only, if the heat is very high and it is burning, just keep off the heat or reduce the heat.
3. If the sauce becomes too thick and dry, then add little water to make it thin and then add cornstarch.
4. After adding corn starch, I think it gives that custard texture consistency, that’s why it coats the chicken pieces properly.
5. If you want dry type or semi gravy type the garlic chicken then, reduce the quantity of water and cook.
6. You can add the cornstarch, and then add the chicken pieces and capsicum at last.