To help celebrate the Year of the Dragon, test out this menu item from Chef Jimmy Sek at Trader Vic’s Restaurant, Beach Rotana. He says, “I remember eating and enjoying this lemon chicken with my mother. She often cooked this dish and served it during Chinese New Year. I’d like to share this recipe with you and I hope you all can prepare it and share it with your friends!”

Ingredients:

• 600g chicken, deboned and cut into fairly large slices
• Juice of one lemon
• One egg and 3 tbsp sesame seeds

For marinade:

• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp castor sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp corn flour
• 2 tbsp custard powder

For sauce:

• 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp castor sugar
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tbsp cornflour
• 1/2 tbsp custard powder
• 2 tbsp water
• 250 ml chicken stock

Method:

1. Marinate chicken for three to four hours, preferably overnight, in the refrigerator
2. Coat marinated chicken pieces with sesame seeds and deep-fry in hot oil for three to four minutes until cooked and crispy.
3. Strain, then slice chicken in long strips and arrange on a serving plate
4. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok. Mix chicken stock, salt, sugar and lemon juice together and bring to a slow boil
5. Add thickening ingredients to form a smooth sauce
6. Dish out sauce and pour over the crispy fried chicken, garnish with lemon slices and serve immediately