Recipe by Susan Jung

These recipes are for chicken dishes that I loved as a child. They are not sophisticated, but they are delicious and easy to make. The first I've been trying for many years to reproduce from taste memory while the second is something I make as comfort food.

When I was growing up in California, my family belonged to an association made up of people who hailed from the same village in China that my grandfather was from. Twice a year, everyone would gather in our Los Angeles Chinatown village hall to eat, drink and socialise (and the grandmothers would try to matchmake their grandchildren, which was embarrassing). The menu was always the same: chow mein, which my father made (and continues to do so) and delicious fried chicken cooked by one of the older "uncles". He made everyone (including my father) leave the kitchen when he was mixing the batter so we never figured out how he made it so good. I've been trying for years to reproduce it, and this is very close, although not as oily as his version. The batter is firm and crunchy, even when cold - not crisp and delicate like tempura. I make the coating in large batches and store it in an airtight container. Every time you use it, give the container a good shake, to remix the ingredients and add water (or other liquids) as needed.

Because the marinade has soy sauce, the batter looks very dark and, when cooked, can look burnt, even if it's not. I fry the chicken at a lower temperature than I would normally, so the batter doesn't brown as much, then I increase the heat for the brief second frying, to crisp up the coating.