Friday, February 27, 2009

General Tso Chicken


General Tso Chicken is been one of my favorite Chinese dishes. I love how the sauce is sweet and yet the red pepper flakes made your mouth warm and flushed. I have always enjoyed Chinese food and so I was a bit nervous when James and I went to Beijing a few weeks ago that I would not like the real deal, since American and Belgian Chinese food is pretty toned down. But I am happy to say I really enjoyed the authentic food. I am sure what I ate was still pretty mild since we ate mostly at the hotel restaurant's and they see a lot of foreigners but I look forward to having an Ayi and enjoying real Chinese food. I think I want her to cook for us twice a week and I want to watch her cook so that I can learn some new ways of cooking. I know if I cooked along side a Belgium I would learn a lot too but that isn't something I have really had a chance to do.
Sorry I can't remember where I found this recipe. It is one I got online a while ago but didn't get around to trying it until now.

1 1/4 cups long-grain brown rice
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 pound snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated and peeled
3 tablespoons light-brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
2 large egg whites
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower

Cook rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine, and set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess), and add to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet).
Add snow-pea mixture to skillet. Cover; cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Serve with rice.

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