GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN RECIPE

This was last night's dinner and it was hands down the best General Tso's Chicken I've ever tasted. It was so good in fact that Ganny and I decided to create a food blog to tell the world about it. We started with the idea of making some sort of Asian stir-fry with a spicy and sweet sauce. I wanted soy, chili, garlic, vinegar, sugar, etc. Soon this became General Tso's. We accompanied this with fried rice and stir-fried vegetables (red bell pepper, red onion, carrot, green onion, and mango).

As usual I played the role of prep cook and chopped all the vegetables. I paired this activity with several bottles of Labatt Blue. Ganny, in her accustomed role as chef de cuisine, paired her meal prep with Naveran Cava Brut Rose.

When we finally sat down to dinner we decided to open a bottle of Root : 1 Sauvignon Blanc. This turned out to be a mistake. Ganny pointed out that it tastes just like when you break into a nursery school and sneak into the changing room and lick a baby's butt. At least that was my interpretation of her tasting notes. I believe what she actually said was "it tastes like the toiletry aisle at Target...it tastes like baby powder." At which point all I could taste was baby butt. Ruined. Clearly the best approach with this wine is to use it to Christen your new skiff at the yacht club then have a martini.

After dinner we went straight for the standard cocktails, gin & tonic for yours truly and vodka & soda for the lady.

Meanwhile, the dogs enthusiastically enjoyed dry kibble.

The recipe:


GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN
Serves 3, with extra sauce for vegetable stir fry

Ingredients for the sauce:
1 tomato paste
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons lite soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons dry sherry
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup pepper jelly
¼ cup chicken stock or water
1
tablespoon chili garlic sauce
3 bird chilis or 1 jalapeno or serrano, thin sliced

Ingredients for the chicken:

1 chicken breast (about 12 oz)
2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 teaspoons peanut oil
peanut oil for frying
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons sesame oil

4 dried red chilies
Scallions and toasted sesame seeds sliced thinly, for garnish.

Procedure:
1. Make the sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.

2. Make the chicken: Dice the breast and place in a large bowl. Add the soy sauces
and egg yolk; mix well. Stir in the cornstarch and 2 teaspoons peanut oil; let sit for at
least 15 minutes

3. Fry chicken in deep fryer at 375 degrees.

4. Place wok over high heat. Add peanut oil. When hot, add chile peppers and stir-
fry for a few seconds, until they just begin to change color. Add the ginger and garlic;
stir-fry for a few seconds longer, until fragrant. Add the sauce, stirring as it thickens.

Return chicken to wok, and stir vigorously to coat. Remove from heat; stir in the
sesame oil, and top with scallions and seeds