General Tso's chicken

Cut the chicken into strips and then across into small bite-sized pieces.

Mix the egg, soy sauce and black vinegar in a large bowl on a scale, then add the chicken and coat it evenly.

Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.

Pour the marinated chicken and all its liquid into the dry mix and toss so every piece is coated; the gloopy liquid makes scraggly pieces on the outside that give extra texture.

Method one, air fried only: spray the pieces all over with oil and air fry 12 minutes at 400F, taking the basket out at five minutes to spritz and shake them.

Method two and three: set a wok over medium-high heat with about two inches of oil at 325F and fry the pieces in batches.

First fry two and a half minutes, only to cook the chicken through and start the colour; they will not be crisp yet.

Instead of frying again straight away, freeze the whole sheet tray two hours, then bag the nuggets.

Let the frying oil cool about an hour, then pour it through a paper-towel-lined strainer into a glass jar to reuse.

Variation, from frozen in the air fryer: spritz lightly with oil and air fry six minutes at 400F.

Variation, from frozen deep fried: heat the saved oil to 375F, higher because the frozen nuggets drop the temperature, and fry about ten at a time for two and a half minutes until deep brown and completely crisp.

Set a pan over medium heat with the oil and toast the garlic, ginger and chilies about 90 seconds to infuse the oil.

Pour in the sauce base of chicken stock, soy sauce, black vinegar, brown sugar, chili garlic paste, sesame oil and hoisin, and boil about three minutes to reduce and concentrate it.

Mix the starch and water into a slurry and add half; add the rest for a thicker sauce.

Store the sauce in a glass jar in the fridge; reheat and toss a couple of spoonfuls through the nuggets to serve.