Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken

Mix 350 g chicken with 12 g minced garlic, 12 ml light soy sauce, 10 ml cooking wine, ¼ tsp white pepper and ¼ tsp five-spice. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, wash 15 g basil leaves, pat thoroughly dry and spread out to air-dry.

Spread 80 g coarse sweet potato starch in a shallow dish. Lift each chicken piece from the marinade, let excess liquid drip off, coat and press lightly. Shake off loose starch. Rest separately on a rack for 5 minutes, until damp patches form and the coating adheres. Discard contaminated leftover starch and marinade.

Fill a small deep pan with neutral oil to a depth of 4–5 cm, below halfway up the pan, and heat to 170°C. Fry in two batches, gently separating the pieces, about 4–5 minutes per batch until pale golden. The thickest piece must hold 75°C at its centre for 30 seconds; continue frying if needed. Drain on a clean rack and restore the oil temperature before the next batch.

Skim out crumbs and raise the oil to 180°C. Refry the chicken in batches for 30–60 seconds until golden and crisp. Lift out and drain; remove promptly and lower the heat if it darkens too quickly.

Let the oil fall to about 170°C. Check that the basil is completely surface-dry, then add in small batches using a splatter screen. Fry about 5–10 seconds until dark green and crinkled, with noticeably fewer bubbles. Remove and drain immediately; even dry leaves may splutter.

Place the fried chicken and basil in a clean bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ tsp white pepper and all ¼ tsp salt. Toss gently and serve hot.