Ootoya Style Chicken and Vegetable Black Vinegar Stir-fry

Ingredients

• 300 g Chicken thighs, boneless
• 4 tbsp Potato starch (katakuriko)
• 100 g Lotus root
• 0.5 Carrot
• 1 Eggplant
• 0.5 Onion
• 2 Green bell pepper
• 4 tbsp Japanese black vinegar (kurozu)
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Mirin
• 2 tbsp Water
• 0.25 cup Cooking oil

Steps

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and coat them thoroughly with potato starch.
2. Peel and cut the lotus root and carrot into 1/2 inch thick rounds or chunks. Cut the eggplant, onion, and peppers into similar bite-sized pieces.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the black vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, water, and 1 teaspoon of potato starch to make the sauce mixture.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Fry the chicken until golden brown and crispy on all sides (about 6-8 minutes). Remove and drain on paper towels.
5. In the same pan (remove excess oil if necessary), sauté the vegetables until tender and slightly browned. You can steam the harder vegetables like carrots and lotus root briefly first to speed up the process.
6. Pour the sauce mixture into the pan with the vegetables and stir over medium heat until it thickens and becomes glossy.
7. Add the crispy chicken back into the pan and toss quickly to coat everything evenly in the sauce. Serve immediately while the chicken is still crisp.