General Tso's Chicken

prep time:: 30 min
total time:: 45 min

Serves 3

This is a Taiwanese version of this well known dish. It is described as hot and sour and lacks the the sweetness of its Americanized counterpart.

ingredients

For the sauce
1tblspn tomato paste + 1 tblspn water mixed
1/2 tspn potato flour
1/2 tspn dark soy sauce
1 1/2 tspn light soy sauce
1 tblspn rice vinegar
3 tblspn chicken stock
For the Chicken
12 ounces of skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1.2 tspn dark soy
2 tspn light soy
1 egg yolk
2 tblspn potato flower
1 qt peanut oil
6 to 10 dried chillis
2 tspn finely chopped ginger
2 tspn minced garlic
2 tspn sesame oil
Scallions thinly sliced

directions

1
1.Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside
2
2.Unfold the thighs , remove any sinew and cut each thigh into roughly 1/4 inch slices and place in a large bowl. Add the soy sauce, egg yolk and mix well. Stir in the potato flour and 2 tspn peanut oil and set aside.
3
Using scissors snip the chilli into 3/4 inch pieces discarding seeds and set aside
4
3.Pour 3 1/2 cups peanut oil into a large wok, Ste over high heat until the oil reaches 350 to 400F . Add half the chicken and fry until crisp and deep gold, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to the plate. Repeat with the second batch
5
.
6
Transferring the oil to a container and wipe the wok clean.
7
4.Place the wok over high heat. Add 2 tblspoon peanut oil. When hot add the chillies and stir fry for a few seconds until they just start to change colour.
8
Add the ginger, and garlic and stir fry for a few seconds longer, until fragrant.
9
Add the sauce, stirring it as it thickens.
10
Return the chicken to the wok and stir vigorously and coat, remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil and top with scallions. Serve with rice.
11
SERVES 2 to 3

notes

I got this particular recipe for this dish from the NYT Sunday magazine. It was apparently adapted from "the Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook by Fuschia Dunlop

Source: Grazor Geek