Scottish-Chinese poutine

If you're partial to the comforts of chips and gravy then this Scottish-Chinese poutine is bringing its A-game. And the base? Chunky-style hand-cut chips, of course!

Frank Shek's Scottish-Chinese poutine Credit: Frank Shek

• serves

  1

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

"When I was growing up in Scotland, I used to live above the family takeaway and before everyone got up from their late night of working I'd sneak downstairs Pink Panther-style and just cook up a stir-fry. Turn on the gas, turn on the fryer, fry some chips, stir-fry some meat and eat it all in front of the TV, and then just tip-toe back upstairs before they found out." Frank Shek

Ingredients

Hand-cut chips

• 2 large Desiree potatoes
• oil for frying

Chicken

• 300 g chicken thigh fillet, diced into 2 cm pieces
• 2 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing rice wine
• 2 tbsp light soy
• 1 tbsp potato starch or cornflour
• 1 tbsp veg oil

Chilli sauce

• 1 long red chilli
• 1 long green chilli
• 2 stalks green shallot
• 6 pieces thinly sliced peeled ginger
• 300 ml chicken stock
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ tbsp palm sugar syrup or ¾ tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp potato starch or cornflour mixed with 2 tablespoon water to make a slurry
• 1 tbsp chilli oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Peel and cut the potatoes into chunky-style chips.

2. Soak in water for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

3. Fry in oil at 150°C for 10 mins. Drain on paper towel and cool.

4. Heat oil to 185°C and fry again till golden brown.

5. Drain and keep warm in a low-temp oven.

6. Place the rice wine and soy into a mixing bowl and mix the diced chicken thigh through it. Add the potato starch and mix again until incorporated.

7. Pour 1 tablespoon oil into a hot wok and stir fry the chicken for about 2-3 minutes till just cooked. Set aside and keep warm.

8. Thinly sliced the red and green chilli and cut the shallots into 4 cm batons.

9. Put the wok on medium heat. Swirl in the oil and add the sliced ginger and cook till golden on both sides. Add the sliced chilli and shallots and cook another 30 seconds.

10. Add the stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, salt and sugar and turn the wok up to high heat. Once bubbling, check the seasoning and adjust if needed.

11. Add the chicken and then the potato starch slurry to thicken the sauce to a thick gravy-like consistency. (You may not need all of the slurry). Then the chilli oil.

12. Put hot chips onto a plate and pour the chicken and chilli sauce stir-fry over the top.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

"When I was growing up in Scotland, I used to live above the family takeaway and before everyone got up from their late night of working I'd sneak downstairs Pink Panther-style and just cook up a stir-fry. Turn on the gas, turn on the fryer, fry some chips, stir-fry some meat and eat it all in front of the TV, and then just tip-toe back upstairs before they found out." Frank Shek