Dinner Date
Last Friday, S came over and we made General Tso's Chicken for dinner. Well, actually *I* made it and he kept me company in the kitchen while I cooked. I take that back, he mixed up the sauce for me. It only took about an hour to make. It was the most scrumptious meal ever!!
GENERAL TSO’S CHICKEN
1 lb. chicken thighs, boned & cubed*
3 eggs, beaten
½ c. cornstarch + 8 tsp. cornstarch
5 dried chili pods*
6 tbsp. rice wine vinegar*
12 tbsp. sugar
12 tbsp. soy sauce
Peanut or Canola oil
Green onion, chopped (optional garnish)
In a large bowl, thoroughly blend the 1/2 cup of cornstarch and the eggs; add the chicken and toss to coat. If the mixture is too thick, add some vegetable oil to separate the pieces.
The General's Favorite Sauce: In a small bowl, prepare the sauce mixture by combining the 8 tsp cornstarch with the vinegar, sugar and soy sauce.
First-Stage Frying: Heat 1-2 inches of peanut oil in a wok to medium-high heat (350-400). Fry the chicken in small batches, just long enough to cook the chicken through. Remove the chicken to absorbent paper and allow to stand (this step can be performed well in advance, along with the sauce mixture, with both refrigerated).
Second-Stage Frying: Leave a tablespoon or two of the oil in the wok. Add the pepper pods to the oil and stir-fry briefly, awakening the aroma but not burning them. Return the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until the pieces are crispy brown. Add the sauce-mixture to the wok, tossing over the heat until the sauce caramelizes into a glaze (1-2 minutes). Serve immediately over white rice topped with chopped steamed broccoli. Sprinkle with green onion. Serves 4.
*Substitute balsamic vinegar or sherry in place of rice vinegar.*Substitute chicken breasts for thighs.
*Substitute dried red pepper for chili pods (1/2 tsp. garlic powder, ½ tsp. red pepper flakes)
Variations: Alternative sauce recipe (not as spicy): ½ c. cornstarch, ¼ c. water, 1½ tsp. ea. garlic & ginger, ¾ c. sugar, 1/2 c. soy sauce, ¼ c. vinegar & 1/4 c. sherry wine, one 14 oz can of chicken broth.
9 comments:
Your dinner sounds yummy, and I missed your original post of the potato soup, so I printed that off as that sounds wonderful too. Also, I'm big into easy with cooking, and that seemed to fit that description perfectly.
Your aquarium looks nice, and as to your word association, unfortuantely I can relate to the joint::pain part. We are getting cold and damp weather here again, which sets off my knee, I want summer. Oh well, pretty soon.
Congratulations on being caught up on your class, and on getting the commencement information, that must feel wonderful to be so close.
Sue
Way to go on graduating soon!!
Sounds like you had a pretty eventful weekend. The chinese sounds really good.
Meari-Thank you so much for posting the General Tso's chicken recipe. It's one of my favorites and I've been wanting to attempt to make it at home.
that chicken sounds yummy! and congraulations about graduating! That is wonderful news :)
Thanks for the recipies! They sound yummy!
Congrats about the graduating news! Hope that cough goes away soon!
~Kim~
Woohoo - graduation! Go, girl, go!
That dinner sounds scrumptious. Yum. :)
Meari that dinner sounded divine and a graduation-how fabulous. When would be the big day?
Your recipes look and sound yummy! Your aquarium looks so pretty and colorful. I used to have one when the kids were little, then they kinda just lost interest. Once the fish croaked, I sold it all in a garage sale. Seeing yours makes me yearn again.
Meari-Quick question about your General Tso's chicken. I was able to get Rice Vinegar but can't seem to locate Rice Wine Vinegar, I did see Rice Wine, but no Rice Wine Vinegar. Will it have the same taste just using the Rice Vinegar?
Please email me--if you have time--at gulfskye at aol dot com
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