Ingredients: 1lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1” chunks) 5 dried red chili peppers 3 green onions (sliced) 3 eggs (beaten) ½ cup cornstarch oil (for frying) Sauce- 1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar 2 tablespoons rice wine 3 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl combine cornstarch and beaten eggs. Mix well to create a batter. Add chicken bits and coat thoroughly. Step 2: To make the sauce- in a small bowl combine rice vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.
Step 3: Heat deep fryer or wok to 375 degrees and deep fried chicken bits in batches. Drain on paper towels. Step 4: Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to your wok. Add dried chili peppers to your wok and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken bits to the wok and stir fry for a couple minutes.
Step 5: Add sauce mixture to the wok and cook stirring until the sauce becomes thickened and bubbly. Garnish with green onions and serve.
For the illustrated version, click the link....
Wild Dove Moderator
Number of posts : 1312 Age : 79 Location : Urthland Humor : monkey business Registration date : 2007-12-21
Subject: Re: General Tso's Chicken Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:07 pm
YOU ARE TOO, TOO, MUCH, MELISSA. I just finished stir-frying my chicken for tonight prior to sitting down to my computer doing my "ting".
The only thing I would add: ALWAYS USE SEA SALT whenever salt is asked for, I MEAN KOSHER SEA SALT COMES IN CRYSTALS YOU CAN GRIND IF NEEDED> IT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. (Plus, fresh grated ginger---A BROTH made with the ingredients mentioned-plus nhoc nam (fish stock in a bottle or water before using) if you've made enough makes for one's own home-version of Kim Chee---without the smell of fermentation. Kept in the frig, it really substitues for store-bought Kim Chee (very expensive, here)).
Melissa Admin
Number of posts : 114 Age : 58 Location : Sitting on a Rainbow Registration date : 2009-11-01
Subject: Re: General Tso's Chicken Sat Nov 07, 2009 1:12 pm
:) Yep, I know, I am accidentally psychic. lol...San Diego anyone? Oh never mind....lol
This recipe leaves out the garlic, too, which is a STAPLE for the sauce. I will make it my way and let you know how it turns out...
Wild Dove Moderator
Number of posts : 1312 Age : 79 Location : Urthland Humor : monkey business Registration date : 2007-12-21
Subject: Re: General Tso's Chicken Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:51 pm
You meant San Francisco bay,didn't you?
Melissa Admin
Number of posts : 114 Age : 58 Location : Sitting on a Rainbow Registration date : 2009-11-01
Subject: Re: General Tso's Chicken Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:25 pm
Hahaha! Oh you have no idea, WD! Or maybe you do? I meant San Diego, but that song is a certain someone's fav. wink wink...
Ok major fail so far on the recipe, but we haven't eaten yet. I'll keep you posted....
Melissa Admin
Number of posts : 114 Age : 58 Location : Sitting on a Rainbow Registration date : 2009-11-01
Subject: Re: General Tso's Chicken Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:58 pm
OOPS! I take it back! This is the most delicious thing I have EVER created! EVERYONE here loves it, but I did not follow that recipe...however, whatever I created is way beyond fabulous....OMG, I will outline it for you tomorrow...this is wonderful...and the recipe is above s a great base, but it definitely needed tweaking........I'm waiting for the third batch right now....lol......oooo, I think I am going to pop! ;)
Melissa Admin
Number of posts : 114 Age : 58 Location : Sitting on a Rainbow Registration date : 2009-11-01
Subject: Re: General Tso's Chicken Sat Nov 07, 2009 8:16 pm
Ok, one last note before I sign off for the evening....this recipe was amazing...however, I screwed it up, like I usually do on recipes, and what I managed to pull off is nothing less than incredible. Of course, I'm pretty sure I was Chinese in a former incarnation, so it's no surprise that it is in my blood. ;)
I tried to quadruple the recipe, not a stellar idea for someone who is awful at math. You'd think I would just use the ingredients four times, but no, that would have been too easy for me. I have to make everything difficult, evidently....I tried to multiply and figure out how much 3/8's of a cup was, since I didn't have a measuring cup that had that precise amount written on it. I'm guessing 3/8 is a little less than half a cup, but the 3/8's was my calculation of what 4 times one and a half tablespoons equaled....lol...I think....I just ended up throwing stuff in until it tasted right. And the garlic I roasted earlier in the day added exactly the right touch.
I also did not have two of the ingredients, the dried red chili peppers and the Rice Wine. I'll tell you tomorrow what I did to make up for it, but now, I have a steaming bowl of heaven I need to go enjoy! Yea Chinese food! Yea internet recipes! Yea past lives that make up for my bumbling in this one! lol And very much yea my lack of mathematical abilities!
Wild Dove Moderator
Number of posts : 1312 Age : 79 Location : Urthland Humor : monkey business Registration date : 2007-12-21
Subject: Re: General Tso's Chicken Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:01 pm
Your 1 and a half tablesoon, of rice vinegar, probably was some dead green pickle juice I put in my evening cocktails at choir practise last nite. I figure, sometimes if I don't have enough gin or vodka, I can substitute that with some pickle juice still in the jar since 1972. Its pretty potent(though all the pickles are long since gone). I was making home-made salad dressing I'm famous for one nite for a friend who would be having lunch with me the next day, having heard about my fabulous late afteroon lunches, but didn't finish it, cause I get too stoned, and in the morning (very late hangover nite) I go to the sink, and find a dead mouse in my measuring cup. He must have gotten drunk on thatsecret family pickle juice of mine and fell in dead, happy and content.
I just picked him or her out and continued making the dressing. Served it later to my guest. The Moral of this tale:
"Don't tell your friend his or her salad dressing is part mouse WHILE he or she is sitting too close to you. Not a good way to charm someone with your fabulous dishes once made with fine vinegar, now with with happy mouse piss as he dies added, topped off by human spit (and the greens) from your guest! There it goes, back in the bowl, on the floor, in your face. Top that off with your living room/dining room is a 7-foot wide trailer......
My dead green pickle jokes really did happen. That's why I can tell them!"
Wild Dove Moderator
Number of posts : 1312 Age : 79 Location : Urthland Humor : monkey business Registration date : 2007-12-21
Subject: Re: General Tso's Chicken Sat Nov 07, 2009 10:18 pm
I'm replying to myself. Just read my post and fell off the floor laughing. Picked myself up and thought, How about a MAY A HAPPY MOUSE PISS IN YOUR SALAD DRESSING AS YOU START EACH DAY be our prayer/blessing when we leave church after wednesday night's practice to hold us over until the following sunday? Blessing, dressing, what's the difference?
Melissa Admin
Number of posts : 114 Age : 58 Location : Sitting on a Rainbow Registration date : 2009-11-01
Subject: Re: General Tso's Chicken Sun Nov 08, 2009 8:05 am
Ok, so here's the scoop...
I used four pounds of chicken breast, diced into one inch cubes.
I don't know the batter proportions, I just used eggs and cornstarch until the consistency looked about right. lol
For the sauce, I used one a half 8 oz bottles of soy sauce...
half an 8oz bottle of Rice Wine Vinegar, not to be confused with Rice Wine, which I did not have...
about 1/4 cup of Champagne vinegar...
a quarter of a bottle of red chili oil
about a 1/4 cup of sesame oil
roasted garlic, one whole head
green onions in the sauce, as well as sauteed onions
lots of sugar, and I mean lots of it. Like two cups....lol..that's because I used TOO MUCH chili oil...oops...but the sugar balanced it nicely...
and then about half a box or so of cornstarch. I followed the cooking instructions....and used peanut oil to fry the chicken.
It was magnificent!
Now, WD, that mouse story, um. Ew.
Wild Dove Moderator
Number of posts : 1312 Age : 79 Location : Urthland Humor : monkey business Registration date : 2007-12-21
Subject: Re: General Tso's Chicken Sun Nov 08, 2009 12:07 pm
I can believe it was magnificent. Similar things have happened to me, like opening a a bottle of red chile pepper oil, or grating peppercorns and half the jar in both cases emptying into a pot (already filled with VEERY EXPENSIVE ingredients y'arn't gonna throw out, right?
One day, I found out a few things like Korean food isn't thai, and so on. One DOES use tons of sugar, cornstarch and LOTS OF RED CHILI SAUCE. I think you stumbled upon accident an old thai recipe for sweet and sour chicken before refrigeration (lots of sugar and vinegar are still the best preservatives (outside of salt....) May Happy dead chicken bless your dish each and every day!