Sesame Chicken (芝麻雞)

Slice off 1/5 of a large red bell pepper (3 oz) (use the remainder to make our other recipes, such as Sweet and Sour Pork or Rainbow Chicken Stir Fry!). Lay the pepper flat cut-side-down on the cutting board and with the shorter side facing your knife, slice into thin strips.

Cut off the stem off the red chili pepper (1 small) and slice it in half. Remove the pith and seeds from inside the pepper. Then with the pepper laying flat cut-side-down, slice into thin strips.

Chef's Tip: Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling spicy peppers and keep away from delicate body parts, such as your eyes!

Smash and peel the garlic (3 clove). Trim and discard the ends. Smash again, then ince.

Cut the stems off of the dried chili peppers (3 small).

In a medium bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour (4 tbsp) and cornstarch (3 tbsp). Add the baking powder (2 tsp) and salt (0.50 tsp) and stir to combine.

Add the water (6.5 tbsp). Do this slowly and gradually a few tablespoons at a time, then stir to combine. Add a bit more and mix again, until all of the water has been added to the batter. The batter should be loose, but not too thin.

Crack and beat the egg (1 large), adding half of it to the batter. Reserve the rest of the egg for later use.

Finally, add the oil (1 tsp) and mix thoroughly to combine.

Cut the chicken breast (12 oz) into smaller pieces, approximately 1-inch thick by splitting it open horizontally. Next, cut these pieces in half, then into roughly 1-inch thick strips. Rotate, then cut into cubes.

Place the chicken in a large bowl and move the pieces to one side. On the other side of the same bowl, add the cornstarch (1 tbsp), salt (0.25 tsp), chicken bouillon powder (1 tsp), white pepper (1 tsp), oyster sauce (1 tbsp) and water (1 tbsp). Mix the chicken and marinade ingredients together thoroughly.

Chef's Tip: My dad prefers to mix in the marinade ingredients by hand since this allows him to thoroughly massage them into the chicken .

Add half of the reserved beaten egg into the chicken (so you use 0.25 of the large egg).

In a small bowl, combine the light soy sauce (1 tbsp), oyster sauce (1 tbsp), dark soy sauce (0.50 tsp), rice vinegar (2 tbsp), sugar (3 tbsp) and water (3 tbsp) and mix thoroughly.

Taste the sauce and adjust to your preference. It should be a balance of sweet and sour.

Make slurry

In another small bowl, combine the potato starch (1 tsp) and water (3 tbsp) and stir to combine. Set aside.

Bring the water (4 cups) to a boil. Add the oil (1 tsp) and salt (1 tsp).

Add broccoli, lower the heat and cook for 30 to 40 seconds. Remove from pot and place in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. This will help the broccoli maintain its vivid green color.

Heat up a wok to 200°F. Pour in the white sesame seeds (1 oz) and lower the heat. Stir around constantly using a spatula . After 30 seconds, turn off the heat and stir for another 30 seconds. Once the seeds are golden brown, transfer to a plate or bowl and set aside.

Chef's Tip: When toasting sesame seeds, make sure your wok isn't overly hot or they'll burn and become bitter.

Return the wok to the stovetop and heat on high. Add the corn oil (3 cups) to the wok and heat to 325°F.

As we wait for the wok to heat up, pour the batter into the marinated chicken and mix to combine. Make sure every piece is coated thoroughly.

Once the oil reaches 325°F, lower the heat slightly to make sure the chicken doesn't burn.

(Chef's Tip: To check if the oil is hot enough without a thermometer, follow my dad's trick. Dip a wooden chopstick into the oil and if small bubbles start coming out of the end, you're good to go!)

Add the chicken into the hot oil one piece at a time. Drop them in gently close to the oil and not from high above, which will cause the oil to splash. Once the wok is full, set aside the remaining chicken for a second batch.

After 1.5 minutes, stir the chicken around to ensure they don't stick together (Don't be tempted to do this sooner or else the crust may fall off!). After 1 more minute (for a total frying time of 2.5 minutes), remove the pieces from the wok. Set aside. Repeat the frying with the remaining batch of chicken.

Now it's time to fry the chicken a second time. This not only forces the oil out of the chicken so it's less greasy, but also adds to the crispiness. Increase the heat and bring the oil to 370°F. Again, working one batch at a time, fry the chicken for 40 to 50 seconds, then set aside. Make sure to bring the oil back up to 370°F before frying the second batch.

Turn off the heat, pour out the hot oil in a heat-resistant bowl and wipe down the wok if reusing.

Add oil (1 tsp) to the wok (you can reuse frying oil if you'd like) and heat on medium for 10 to 20 seconds.

Add the minced garlic and dried chili peppers, stir frying for 30 to 40 seconds until aromatic.

Pour in the sauce and stir constantly for 30 to 40 seconds. Taste and adjust if needed.

Turn heat to low, give the slurry a quick stir and add slowly a bit at a time, while constantly mixing the sauce. Cook for about 1 minute. Check consistency, adding more slurry or water if needed to thin or thicken consistency. Turn the heat off, add the sesame oil (1 tsp) and mix.