General Tso’s Chicken – recipe
How I love this dish! General Tso’s Chicken was the must-have Chinese takeaway when I lived in the States. It’s a shame that it’s not often found on UK restaurant menus but here is a recipe that takes me back to General Tso’s Chicken in Connecticut.
Ingredients
SAUCE:
60g Cornflour
135ml Water
3 tspn Garlic, minced
3 tspn Ginger, minced
170 g Sugar
240ml Soy sauce
120ml White wine vinegar
120ml Chinese cooking wine, or dry sherry
600ml Chicken stock, hot
3 tspns Dried hot pepper flakes, or to taste
MEAT:
400g Chicken meat, dark, deboned, cut into large chunks
60ml Soy sauce
1 tspn White pepper
1 Egg, beaten
130g Cornflour
8 Spring onions, sliced
1 Onion, cut into chunks
1 Red pepper, cut into chunks
Vegetable oil for the batter and for deep-frying
Method
For the sauce:
Mix 60g cornflour with water.
Add garlic, ginger, sugar, 240ml soy sauce, vinegar, wine, chicken stock and hot pepper flakes.
Stir until sugar dissolves.
Refrigerate until needed.
For the meat:
In separate bowl, mix the chicken and the other 60ml soy sauce and the white pepper.
Stir in the egg.
Add 130g of cornflour and mix until chicken pieces are coated evenly.
Add a little vegetable oil to help separate chicken pieces.
Divide the chicken into small quantities and deep-fry at 350°F, 175°C until crispy.
Drain on paper towels.
Place a small amount of oil in a wok and heat until the wok is hot.
Add spring onions, onions and peppers and stir-fry briefly.
Stir the sauce and add to the wok. Heat till boiling.
Place the chicken in the hot sauce and cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
Note: I have reduced the amount of cornflour in the sauce considerably from the original recipe, so if at the end of cooking, the sauce is not thick and glossy, add some more cornflour and water.
Recipe by Chrissie Walker © 2018
