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.
The bright spots are sun spots. Beautiful sunny day, today! I have six fish who are quite entertaining. When I walk by the aquarium, they get all crazy and start swimming willy nilly all over the tank. I want to get a tall "something"... maybe a plant?... to put in the middle of the tank, and more fish of course.
Last week, she sent a message out the group saying that it was taking up too much space and she was again reducing the price to $15. I expressed my interest, and asked what she had in the tank that it was so nasty. Goldfish. I know goldfish are the dirtiest of fish creatures, but she apparently hadn’t kept up a cleaning schedule either. She offered to wipe it down before I came. I went to look at it, and it did look much better cleaned up some. I arrived home with my new acquisition, and set to work cleaning it. Two hours later, I had myself a shiny new (Well, new to me.) aquarium.
I was still skeptical as to whether it was a “working” aquarium... meaning “Did it leak?” So, I sat it on the concrete basement floor and filled it with water. I figured if the floor was dry in the morning, it would be good to go. I’m happy to say that for $15 I have myself a pretty nice aquarium! To buy one new, it’d cost me around $100. Once I get it set up and settled, I'll be getting freshwater tropical fish.
