This is the most famous Hunan dish, combining lightly battered chicken with a chilli-laced sweet-sour sauce. It is especially popular in the USA, although it is curiously less well-known in Hunan!

It was actually created in Taiwan by a young Hunanese chef. The original recipe was typically Hunanese - heavy, sour, hot and salty. But when its creator moved to New York, he adapted the recipe to be slightly sweeter.

This version of the recipe is closer to the Americanised version.

1. Place the chicken pieces in a bowl. Add the soy sauces for the marinade and egg yolk and mix well. The stir in the potato flour so that the chicken pieces are caked in flour.
2. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a wok or large pan to 180-200 degrees. Add the chicken (if necessary in batches) and deep-fry until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Pour off the oil, clean the wok if necessary and then return to a high flame with 2-3 tbsps of the oil. Add the dried chillies and stir-fry briefly until they are fragrant and just changing colour (be careful not burn them). Toss in the ginger and stir-fry for a few secs more, then add the tomato purée and stir-fry until the oil is a deep orange.
5. Add the mixed sauce ingredients, stirring as the sauce thickens. Tip in the chicken and stir vigorously to coat it in the sauce.
6. Add the spring onios and stir a few times. Then, off the heat, stir in the sesame oil and serve.