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Jitui fan
Jītuǐ fàn (雞腿飯): Taiwanese crisp-fried chicken leg over rice with three vegetable sides
TaiwaneseIn every Taiwanese town, the biandang shop at lunchtime sells jitui fan: a whole chicken leg marinated in soy, garlic and five-spice, coated in coarse sweet potato starch and fried crisp, laid over rice with three small vegetable sides and a scoop of minced-pork sauce if you ask. Office workers and students carry the paper boxes back to their desks. The common mistake is frying in oil that is too hot, so the coating browns while the meat by the bone stays raw; fry gently, then crisp it at the end. Chef's tip: let the starch-coated legs sit for 5 minutes until the coating looks damp, so it fries into crunchy little pebbles.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 whole chicken legsabout 300 g each, skin on
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- ½ tsp five-spice powder
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 2 ⅛ oz coarse sweet potato starch
- 3 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor frying
For the sides
- 7 oz white cabbageshredded
- 5 ½ oz bean sprouts
- 5 ½ oz spinach or water spinach
- 2 cloves garlicsliced
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 14 oz cooked short-grain riceto serve
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Slash 2 whole chicken legs twice to the bone on the meaty side. Rub with 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 3 cloves garlic, ½ tsp five-spice powder and ¼ tsp white pepper and marinate, covered in the fridge, for at least 20 minutes.
20 minStep 2: Press the legs into 2 ⅛ oz coarse sweet potato starch to coat all over and rest for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Heat 3 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 325°F. Fry the legs for 12–14 minutes, turning, until golden and 165°F at the thickest part next to the bone. Lift out, heat the oil to 350°F and fry again for 1–2 minutes until crisp. Drain.
16 minStep 4: Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a wok over a high heat and stir-fry 7 oz white cabbage with 1 cloves garlic and a third of ½ tsp salt for 3 minutes until just tender. Set aside.
3 minStep 5: Stir-fry 5 ½ oz spinach or water spinach with the rest of the garlic and a third of the salt for 1 minute until wilted. Blanch 5 ½ oz bean sprouts in boiling water for 1 minute, drain and toss with the last of the salt.
3 minStep 6: Serve each leg over 14 oz cooked short-grain rice with the three sides. To pack, cool quickly, refrigerate and reheat until piping hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 830 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 80 g
- Fat
- 38 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jitui fan take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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