As part of our week in China, I, the Physicist, made General Tso's Chicken (and Tofu). I looked at a bunch of recipes and then basically winged it. I coated the chicken and tofu pieces in a batter made from an egg, half a cup of water, about a tablespoon of sesame oil, and a lot of cornstarch. At first, I only put in half a cup of cornstarch based on a recipe by Tyler Florence, but he was sadly wrong. This batter was runny and I probably added 2-3 times that much before it was thick, sticky, and coated the pieces well. Once this was worked out, I fried everything in the wok in batches, then dumped out most of the oil and made the sauce from garlic, ginger, red pepper, chicken stock, soy sauce, honey, and cornstarch to thicken. If I did this again, I'd dump all the oil and use fresh. After frying a pound of chicken and a box of tofu, the oil was a bit brown and brought a burnt taste to the final dish. The Girl would also appreciate less red pepper than I used. This was easy to play around with, adding more honey or cornstarch slurry at the end to get the result I liked, for instance, and I think it's a great next step beyond basic stir-fry. Overall, it was tasty, but could have been better. But there's only one way to learn.
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Sunday, April 25, 2010
"Obi" Wan Fan - General Tso's Chicken
As part of our week in China, I, the Physicist, made General Tso's Chicken (and Tofu). I looked at a bunch of recipes and then basically winged it. I coated the chicken and tofu pieces in a batter made from an egg, half a cup of water, about a tablespoon of sesame oil, and a lot of cornstarch. At first, I only put in half a cup of cornstarch based on a recipe by Tyler Florence, but he was sadly wrong. This batter was runny and I probably added 2-3 times that much before it was thick, sticky, and coated the pieces well. Once this was worked out, I fried everything in the wok in batches, then dumped out most of the oil and made the sauce from garlic, ginger, red pepper, chicken stock, soy sauce, honey, and cornstarch to thicken. If I did this again, I'd dump all the oil and use fresh. After frying a pound of chicken and a box of tofu, the oil was a bit brown and brought a burnt taste to the final dish. The Girl would also appreciate less red pepper than I used. This was easy to play around with, adding more honey or cornstarch slurry at the end to get the result I liked, for instance, and I think it's a great next step beyond basic stir-fry. Overall, it was tasty, but could have been better. But there's only one way to learn.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
"Obi" Wan Fan - Chicken Asparagus Broccoli Stir Fry
So, I looked up "dinner" in Chinese . . . and got a translation in Chinese characters. Then, I looked up "how to say 'dinner'" and was told that it sounds like "wan fan". Hence, "Obi Wan Fan" week. (I know, we're geeks.) We were starting without many groceries, and even less time, but I quickly found this recipe at Bon Appétit, and The Physicist picked up the rest of the ingredients on his way home. Working together to chop up the veggies and chicken, it quickly came together in about 30 minutes, which was perfect. We did leave out the oyster sauce, because I wasn't sure I could handle that, but we easily substituted with soy sauce and a bit of cornstarch. It was lovely, and quick, and better than anything I could get from a Chinese food place, considering how fresh the veggies tasted. Served over some jasmine rice, it was divine. If you're looking for a fast, healthy alternative to take-out, this is the recipe for you.
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