Sweet-and-Sour Chicken with homemade tomato paste – Gluten-free version

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade tomato paste ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Wash the tomatoes, remove the cores and quarter each tomato.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Put the tomatoes, the salt and half of the olive oil in a wide pot, cover and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and release their liquid.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
3. 3
   Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill or sieve and return the purée to the pot: the skins and seeds stay behind.

   Food millorFine sieve
4. 4
   Cook uncovered about an hour at a lively simmer, stirring now and then, until the purée reduces by half.

   StoveWooden spoon

   💡The paste burns easily as it dries: stir and scrape the bottom and edges, and once it is thick, don't walk away.
5. 5
   Preheat the oven to 110°C (230°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
6. 6
   Grease a wide baking dish with the rest of the olive oil and pour in the purée in a thin layer. Dry in the oven about 3 hours, stirring and scraping the edges every 30 minutes, until the paste is thick, sticky and brick red.

   OvenBaking sheetSilicone spatula
7. 7
   Let the paste cool.

   Jar

For the Soy-Honey Sauce

1. 8
   In a small bowl, mix the gluten-free soy sauce, honey and vinegar.

   Bowl

   💡Honey balances the saltiness of the soy and caramelizes over heat: on the grill it gives a browned crust, and in a pan a glossy sauce.

To assemble

1. 9
   Add the tomato paste and salt to the sauce and stir.
2. 10
   Stir the cornstarch into the sauce until dissolved.
3. 11
   Heat the oil in a large pan over high heat. Fry the chicken cubes in batches 3–4 minutes, until golden, and transfer to a plate.

   StoveFrying pan

   💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
4. 12
   Add the red pepper, yellow pepper and onion and fry 3 minutes, stirring.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
5. 13
   Add the garlic, ginger and chili pepper and fry 1 minute, until fragrant.

   Stove
6. 14
   Add the sauce for the pan and cook 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens.

   Stove
7. 15
   Return the chicken cubes to the sauce and stir gently until the chicken is coated.
8. 16
   Serve immediately over white rice and sprinkle.