Step 1

Soak the dried shrimp with water. Save the soaking liquid for later

Step 2

Pat the chicken pieces dry with an absorbent paper towel. Marinade the chicken for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge. If you plan to marinate overnight, add the cornstarch on the day you plan to cook it. Get the chicken out from the fridge for about 1 hour so they won't be cold, then add the cornstarch and mix

Step 3

Mix all ingredients for kam heong sauce in a bowl

Step 4

If you choose to deep fry, preheat about 2 inches of oil in a pan over medium heat. When you test the oil with a skewer, you'll see bubbles around it, the oil is ready

Step 5

Fry the chicken pieces in batches until they are golden brown and remove from the oil. Continue with the rest of the batch. You can also fry for a second time for extra crunchy chicken. The second round should be faster because all we are doing is frying the chicken to make it crispier

Step 6

You can also pan fry the chicken if you don't want to deep fry. Preheat a wok or a pan. Add about 3 Tbsp of cooking oil. Pan fry the chicken until they are slightly charred and cooked through. Remove from the pan

Step 7

Add about 3 Tbsp of oil to the wok/pan. Stir fry onion and garlic until fragrant, about 3 minutes or so. Add the soaked dried shrimp and curry leaves and stir fry for another minute. Add the seasonings followed by water + soaking liquid from the dried shrimp to make up to 100 ml. Simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced. Have a taste and adjust to your taste preference

Step 8

Add the chicken pieces and stir to combine and make sure the chicken pieces are coated with the sauce

Step 9

Serve warm with rice as part of a multi-course meal