Black Pepper Chicken With Honey

I discovered this dish when I was out lunching with friends on a recent trip home. It seemed to be a permanent fixture on menus at Indian Muslim restaurants in particular and was served at lunchtime. I would find myself craving the intensively spicy and sweet dish and would wonder off to my favourite mamak stall to enjoy it with some steamed rice and stir fried vegetables.

One foggy evening found me in my kitchen in New York, chopping shallots and pounding aromatic Tellicherry peppercorns in a mortar and pestle. Please go easy with the black pepper as this dish is on the spicy side. Dried chillis and ginger also heat a gentle heat to this dish.

Black Pepper Chicken With Honey

Marinade:
1/2 chicken - cut into bite pieces
2 tb cornflour
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tb peanut oil

Combine all ingredients. Heat oil on medium high heat in a large saute pan and shallow fry to sear in the juices of the chicken . Chicken should be half cooked at this point. Remove chicken from hot oil with a slotted spoon and set aside.


Sauce:
2 tb honey
1 tb dark soy sauce
2 scallions - chopped
1 cup chicken stock
3 shallots - minced
1 tb tomato sauce
1 tb freshly ground black pepper

Saute:
5 dried chillis
3 medium sized shallots - minced
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 tb minced ginger
1 cinnamon stick
2 tb peanut oil

Heat oil leftover from the pan and saute all ingredients. Add in browned chicken pieces. Pour in sauce ingredients, cover and bring to a boil. Cook until chicken pieces are cooked and the sauce is reduced . Serve with steamed rice.