We all know that sweet and sour chicken is basically now a British staple. Is it even really Saturday night without a visit to the local Chinese for something sweet and sticky? No, except too many of those take-away's might leave your wallet looking thin, and your waistline, well, that's another story. Anyway, I love sweet and sour chicken, and it seems a shame to confine it to the every-once-in-a-while-treat from the Chinese, so I wanted to have a go at making a version you can cook at home, without the guilt. Also, cooking this at home means you can't be tempted by the added extras of a delicious Chinese take-away menu; chips, prawn toast, maybe even some ribs... It's just all too tempting. So in that respects, cooking at home is much better for your waistline. 

Ingredients

• 450g diced chicken breast
• 2 tbs toasted sesame oil
• 1 diced onion
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 inch finely chopped root ginger
• 1 chopped red pepper
• 1 chopped green pepper
• 4 diced spring onions
• 227g tin of crushed pineapple

For the Sauce:

• 150ml chicken stock
• 1 tbs light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbs red wine vinegar
• 2 tbs light brown sugar
• 2 tbs tomato puree
• Ground black pepper
• 1 tsp corn flour

Method

1. Add the sesame oil to your wok and heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and spring onions and fry for 2-3 minutes on high.
3. Add the chicken and stir fry for 4-5 minutes, or until lightly coloured on all sides.
4. Add the crushed pineapple and peppers and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
5. Add the chicken stock, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, red wine vinegar, sugar, tomato puree, and a good pinch of black pepper, and cook for a further 2 minutes.
6. Mix the corn flour with 1 tbsp of water until it forms a paste.
7. Add the corn flour/water mixture to the wok and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the sauce starts to thicken and go glossy.
8. Serve straight from the wok with a nice tasty rice, like egg fried, or mushroom and garlic.