Chicken Manchurian #FoodieReads

Before I read The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar I had never heard of Chicken Manchurian or Manchurian Chicken. It is mentioned in the novel multiple times with both names. This is just another book in my series of novels from South Asia and Southeast Asia.

On the Page

The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar tells the story of Remy Wadia who left India for the United States to attend university. He currently lives on Ohio with his American wife and has returned to Bombay to adopt a child and visit his elderly mother who is in the hospital and has stopped talking.

This was a surprisingly heavy book with some serious themes and deep family secrets. I won't spoil the story, but will say that after discovering an old photograph, Remy questions his entire childhood and views of his mother and father. The lesson: it's never too late to forgive.

On the Plate

Given that most of the book was set in Bombay, there is a lot of Indian food on the pages. And there were many dishes that were completely new-to-me.

"'How do akuri and French toast sound?' Remy moaned. 'Oh my God. Akuri alone sounds divine.' His mother used to make the dish, spiced scrambled eggs tossed in fried onion and cilantro and garnished with nuts and raisins. It had been their usual Sunday breakfast, but sometimes Remy used to ask for it for dinner and his mother unfailingly obliged."

"'Okay, you ready to eat? I’ve made your favorites—dhansak and papdi with mutton. And, oh, fried Bombay ducks on the side'."

"[It was an] ambitious menu for Navroz, Parsi New Year: patra ni machhi—pomfret slathered with green chutney and steamed in banana leaves—for the first course, followed by chicken pulao with dhansak daal."

But what sent me to the kitchen was mentioned of a dish that was completely new to me: Manchurian Chicken or Chicken Manchurian. Umrigar refers to it both ways.

He broke off as the waiter set down their food. They had ordered a spread of chicken fried rice, green beans, fried shrimp, and Manchurian chicken, and the waiter served each dish with the precision of a Swiss clockmaker. Remy would’ve preferred to have helped himself, but he knew the tradition at restaurants in India, and allowed the man to portion the dishes on each of their plates.

Chicken Manchurian

Since I had never heard of it, I did some research. It turns out that Chicken Manchurian is a fusion Indo-Chinese dish that is essentially fried chicken in a spicy, sweet dark sauce. Its creation is attributed to Nelson Wang, an Indian restaurateur of Chinese origin. When asked Wang admitted, "What is Manchurian? Nothing! I made it up."

I set about creating a process that didn't involve frying chicken; I breaded and roasted mine in the oven until crispy. And I added many more aromatics and layers of flavor. This is definitely not a traditional recipe.

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1 pound boneless, skinless thighs, cubed

• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce

• 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar

• gluten-free flour for dredging

• 2 eggs, beaten

• olive oil for drizzling

• Also needed: baking sheet, parchment paper

Manchurian Sauce

• 1/2 cup diced onions

• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

• olive oil

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon minced ginger

• 1 teaspoon minced lemongrass

• 1/2 cup tomato sauce

• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce plus more to taste

• 1/2 cup stock (I used chicken stock) plus 1/4 cup stock, divided

• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

• salt and pepper as needed

Procedure

Chicken

Place chicken cubes in a bowl. Massage in the soy sauce and vinegar and let stand while the oven preheats to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the gluten-free flour in one bowl. And, in another bowl, whisk the eggs. Dip chicken into the flour, then into the beaten egg then, and into the flour mixture one more time. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining cubes. Drizzle olive oil over the chicken.

Bake for 10 minutes. Flip chicken and bake for an additional 8 minutes or until chicken is firm to the touch and no longer pink in the center. In the meantime, make the sauce.

Manchurian Sauce

Heat a couple of glugs of olive oil in a large flat-bottom pot. Add in the onions and cook until they are beginning to soften. Add in the peppers and cook until everything is caramelized. Pour in 1/2 cup of stock and the tomato sauce. Whisk in the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass. Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken. Stir in the soy sauce to taste.

Whisk the cornstarch into 1/4 stock and pour into the larger pot. Simmer until the sauce it thickened to your liking. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.

To Serve

Toss the crispy chicken pieces into the sauce and serve immediately.

I am adding this to the July #FoodieReads link-up.