Mum's Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

• 1/2 cup unbleached or all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
  
• 1 large egg
  
• 1 tsp water
  
• 1 pound chicken breast meat or tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
  
• 8-ounce can pineapple chunks in juice (do not drain)
  
• 1/3  cup chili sauce
  
• 2/3 cup red currant jelly
  
• 1 cup celery hearts, sliced
  
• 1 green pepper, seeded, quartered and sliced (about 1¼ cups)
  
• 2 tbs canola oil
  
• about 4 cups steamed white or brown rice

Combine flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a medium shallow bowl. Stir with fork to blend well; set aside.

In another bowl, beat egg and water until smooth. Add chicken pieces to egg. stir to coat, and set aside.

Combine pineapple chunks (including juice), chili sauce, jelly, celery and green pepper in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While sauce is simmering, heat a non-stick skillet over medium­high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add chicken pieces, about a third at a time, to the flour mixture. Turn pieces around to coat, and pat off excess flour. Carefully and quickly add flour-coated chicken pieces to hot oil in pan.

Cook chicken pieces until brown, 2 or 3 minutes, and turn over to brown on other side, breaking the pieces apart from each other, if necessary. When chicken is cooked through, add to the sweet-and­sour mixture. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, for another minute or two to blend flavors.

Serve over steamed rice.

Serves 4.