Hong Kong Chicken!
When I first arrived in South Africa many years ago, there were certain local dishes that were spoken of with much love and respect by locals. Bobotie, pojtiekos, melk tert, and from the Eastern Cape something called Hong Kong chicken. This is a dish you will, apparently, only be familiar with if you have lived in the Eastern Cape. It has also been the hardest for me to pin down a recipe on, because there is an accepted recipe for something called Hong Kong chicken around the world, but that is unlike what you get in the Eastern Cape.
HONG KONG CHICKEN (Eastern Cape Style)
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
– 600gms chicken
– 1/2 cup low sodium soya sauce
– 1/4 cup brown sugar
– 1 cup coke zero (you could use regular)
– 1 clove garlic finely minced
– 5 tbsp canola oil
– 3 sliced spring onions
Start by combining all the ingredients, excluding the oil and chicken, then add your chicken pieces to the marinade. After at least 30minutes, heat your oil, drain the chicken from their marinade and fry them till they begin to brown. Add all the marinade to the pan and allow it to slowly cook through the chicken pieces. If your marinade becomes too sticky before the chicken has cooked and some water. Just before serving add your spliced spring onions.
Serve with plain steamed rice and some veggies. The sauce is sweet, salty and sticky making it very moreish.
To make the dish a little healthier substitute your brown sugar for a table spoon of honey.
Hi
Have only now come across your post and being an addicted East Cape muncher of Hong Kong Chicken for 50 or more years I thought I should mention that The Little Swallow Restaurant here in P.E. markets a ready-made marinade that is the real thing being based on the original formula created by their forebear Happy of Happy’s Chinese Restaurant long since departed.
They also do a great Seet & Sour Sauce that is just as authentic.
The range is carried by Spar.