General Tso's Chicken

Classic chicken stir-fry dish. Chicken tossed with soy sauce and white pepper, deep fried and served with scallions, dried hot peppers and a garlic and ginger sauce.

Ingredients -

Sauce:
1/2 cup Cornstarch
1/4 cup Water
1 plus 1/2 teaspoon minced Garlic
1 plus 1/2 teaspoon minced Ginger Root
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup White Vinegar
1/4 cup Cooking Wine
1-1/2 cup Hot Chicken Broth

Meat:
3 pounds Deboned Dark Chicken Meat, cut into large chunks
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon White Pepper
1 Large Egg, beaten
1 cup Cornstarch
Vegetable Oil for deep-frying
2 cups sliced Green Onions
16 small Dried Hot Peppers

Preparation:

1. Add ½-cup cornstarch to ¼-cup water in small bowl. Stir in minced garlic, minced ginger, sugar, ½-cup soy sauce, white vinegar, cooking wine, and hot chicken broth.

2. Continue stirring until sugar dissolves.

3. Place sauce in refrigerator.

4. In separate medium bowl, toss chicken with ¼-cup soy sauce and white pepper.

5. Stir in beaten egg. Stir in cornstarch and toss to coat chicken.

6. Heat deep fryer to 350-370 F.

7. Deep fry chicken in small batches until crispy.

8. Drain on paper towels.

9. Heat wok over medium high heat. Add 1-tablespoon oil to wok.

10. Add sliced green onions, dried hot peppers, and sauce to wok. Heat through.

11. Add chicken to wok, and cook until sauce thickens.

Variations and Recipe Ideas:

Cooking Tip

Deep-frying

When deep-frying in your wok, the trick is to regulate the heat so the surface of the food is cooked, but does not brown too fast, while the food cooks inside. The technique takes some practice to master.

Cooking Tip

Poaching

Gently simmering food until it is partially cooked is called poaching. The process is used to cook foods slightly before adding to soups or sauces.