At the average Chinese restaurant or takeaway, sweet and sour chicken consists of pieces of poultry that have been battered, deep fried and then doused in a lurid pink salty-sweet sauce. It's not hard to see why the dish is best avoided if you're trying to eat healthily; it is rife with saturated fat, calories, sodium and sugar.
In order to make this more healthy, deep frying the meat is not an option. But, if you coat the pieces of skinless chicken breast (a good source of low-fat protein) in corn flour, before frying them in a small amount of very hot oil, then they develop a crunchy, crispy crust that mimics the texture of the battered and deep-fried version.
The sauce below relies on natural, fresh ingredients for flavour; garlic, ginger and chilli, for example. Fresh pineapple is preferable to the tinned variety, which is often steeped in syrup. The fruit provides natural sweetness, so you don't need to add sugar and you won't need to season with salt because of the soy sauce. The recipe contains plenty of vegetables (or add whatever is available to you) and when served with brown rice this a healthy, balanced meal that is quick and easy to prepare.
Healthier sweet and sour chicken
Serves 2
1 skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp groundnut oil
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
onion, peeled and sliced
For the sauce:
pineapple, peeled and chopped
juice of lime
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
2cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2-1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
black pepper
First prepare the sauce. Tip of the pineapple into a blender with the lime juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, chilli and a few twists of black pepper. Blend until smooth. Cut the chicken breast into bite sized pieces and dust all over with the corn flour. Heat the oil in a wok until you can feel heat rising from the surface. Carefully add the chicken pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the chicken develops a light golden crust. Add the peppers, carrot, onion and remaining pineapple and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, until the pineapple pieces start to caramelise slightly around the edges. Pour over the sauce, stirring well to coat the meat and vegetables. Cook for 4-6 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and become slightly syrupy. Taste to check the seasoning, adding more lime juice or soy sauce if you think it is necessary. Serve with brown rice.
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
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• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
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Director: Jesse Armstrong
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Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Wales 74-24 Tonga
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Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
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Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
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Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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