Crispy Chestnut - sweet and spicy chestnuts
Chestnut Stir-Fry is an Indo Chinese dish with chestnuts that are deep fried, or air fried in a batter until crispy and tossed in spicy and savory sauce. It is spicy and sweet all in once and makes for great party appetizer. A great option for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
Fried Chestnuts
- 16 oz. Chestnuts Canned
- 3/4 cup All-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp Chili powder
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- Salt to taste
Sauce
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 2 tbsp garlic
- ¼ cup scallions white and green parts divided
- ¼ cup bell peppers any color
- ¼ cup onions
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp red chili sauce sambal olek or sriracha
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp sugar or honey
- 1 tsp corn starch
Instructions
Fried Chestnuts
- Drain water from chestnut tins and wash away the chestnuts. Drain them. (You can chop up chestnuts into smaller bites.)
- In a mixing bowl, add cornstarch, flour and other dry ingredients like red chili powder, salt and black pepper.
- Add ¼ cup water and mix it into thick batter. Add chestnuts too and mix.
- Heat up oil for frying on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, take chestnuts and drop them gently into oil and fry them until they are crispy and lightly golden. Remove them on a paper-towel lined tray.
Make Sauce
- Combine all sauces starting with vinegar, soy sauce, red chili paste, tomato paste and sugar or if you are using honey, cornstarch in a bowl along with 2 tbsp water.
- Take oil in a pan on medium heat. Add ginger, garlic, and white part of scallion. Cook it for few minutes, add in the onions and bell peppers. Give it quick stir. Do not over cook these.
- Add sauce into the vegetables.
- Let it cook for few seconds and the sauce will come together. If it’s too thick, add little bit water. Taste and adjust seasonings or spice level.
- Toss the fried chestnuts and give it a good stir to mix them with the sauce.
- Remove them on a serving platter. Garnish them with green part of scallions and some chopped cilantro and serve it immediately.
Notes
- Chestnuts have a bite to them in this recipe. I have used canned/tinned ones. 1 can is 8 0z and I have used two of those. But make sure you toss them in sauce close to when you are ready to serve, it keeps the overall dish crispy. If you are serving it later, make both parts of the recipe. Stir the fried chestnuts into the sauce close to serving.
- Make it as part of indo-chinese meal or just as an appetizer.