General Tso Chicken better then you can get at restaurants

After a very disappointing experience at a Chinese restaurant last week I decided that it was time to go back to what I do best and make some at home.  For me Asian cuisine is my culinary staple, it is how I really came into my own as a cook.  I always enjoyed cooking meals but I never realized how good of a cook I could be until I decided to get more into my Chinese food.  It too all started from a bad Chinese food experience at a restaurant.  Sadly because I grew up in Hong Kong I am a bit of a snob when it comes to Chinese food and at the time I was living in East Texas and no matter where I tried the food was way below par.  So I began experimenting, seeing if I could do better and thankfully I discovered that it came quite easily to me.  Sometimes I stick to very authentic dishes, but I do also like to try and cook up some of the Americanized Chinese dishes. This time I decided to try my hand at a very American dish that normally in restaurants I avoid, General Tso Chicken. What I discovered about this dish is that not only is it an easy dish to prepare but it is so much better prepared at home then in restaurants.  This dish turned from being something my husband would never eat to a dish that he will now request.

General Tso Chicken

500g (1 lb) chicken, diced
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 egg, lightly beaten
freshly ground black or white pepper, to taste
Cornstarch, as needed
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons cornstarch for thickening sauce, optional
3 green onions (spring onions or scallions)

1 pepper, diced (you can use any colour)
5 to 10 small dried red chilli peppers, according to taste

vegetable oil

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Combine the chicken cubes with the egg, 1 Tbsp of light soy sauce, and pepper.

 




Add enough cornstarch to nicely coat the chicken, using cooking chopsticks or your fingers to mix it in.

Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine, sugar, water, ginger, garlic and cornstarch,  in a bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar and cornstarch. Set aside. Thinly slice the green onions and peppers.

Heat the oil in a wok (or deep frying pan if you don't have a wok) to between 350 and 360 degrees Fahrenheit (175 - 180 degrees Celsius). You want just enough oil so that when you put the chicken in it half way covers the chicken. Drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil, a few pieces at a time, and deep-fry until crispy (3 to 4 minutes).

Remove the chicken cubes and drain on paper towels.

Drain and clean out the wok. Heat 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the sliced green onions and the dried chili peppers and diced pepper. Stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds).

Add the deep-fried chicken cubes back into the wok. Stir-fry until the chicken cubes are browned (about 1 minute).
Push the chicken up to the sides of the wok. Give the sauce a quick stir and add into the middle of the wok. Stir it continually for 1 - 2 minutes to thicken.

Mix the sauce with the chicken. Cook and stir for another 2 minutes, stirring, until the chicken is nicely coated with the sauce. Serve immediately.