In Malaysia, we used to order this Kam Heong Kai at Chinese restaurants. The most popular variant is Kam Heong Lala, ie Golden Fragrant Clams.
The aroma from the curry leaves, dried prawns and curry powder is very appetising. A bit more fiddly than the usual stir fry, but oh so worth it!
Serves 4, along with rice
500 g chicken thigh fillets, sliced
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, sliced
10 curry leaves
2 tbsp dried shrimps, soak in hot water and finely chopped
4 birds eye chilies, roughly chopped
[Marinade]
1/2 egg white
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
a few dash of pepper
[Sauce]
1 tbsp curry powder (I use Baba's Chicken Curry Powder)
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp raw sugar
salt to taste
1. Marinate the meat with egg white, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Set it aside for at least an hour.
2. Heat up some oil in a wok for deep frying (I filled up to about 4 cm depth as I dislike wasting too much oil). Stir in the cornstarch to the chicken. Mix well.
3. Fry the chicken in 3 batches until golden brown. Remove and drain the oil on paper towels. Remove most of the oil from the frying pan and leave about 2 tbsp spoons for cooking the sauce.
4. Heat up the oil and stir-fry the garlic and onion until fragrant and lightly brown. Stir in the dried shrimps, chilies and curry leaves and continue to stir-fry until fragrant.
5. Add in the rest of the seasonings and water. Simmer for a few seconds and toss in the chicken. Mix until well combined. If you find it too dry, you can add a bit of water.
If using AIRFRYER, replace steps 2 & 3 with:
2a. Stir in the cornstarch and 1 tbsp oil to the chicken. Mix well.
3a. Preheat airfryer to 180°C. Fry chicken for 5 mins. Flip. 5 mins. Flip. 160°C 5 mins. Another 2 mins 180°C if not golden.
Tips:
Reduce the chilies if required. I used a mixture of big chillies with a tiny bit of the birds eye chillies.
Adapted from
http://www.mykitchensnippets.com/2011/11/kam-heong-chickenfragrant-chicken.html?m=1
