General Tso’s Chicken

General Tso’s Chicken

General Tso’s Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

10 oz boneless skinless chicken meat (thigh or breast), cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup cornstarch
Oil for deep frying
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
3 slices peeled ginger, finely minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
4-5 dried red chiles, rinsed and deseeded
2 stalks scallion, white-part only, cut into 1-inch lengths

Sauce:

2 1/2 – 3 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon Hoisin sauce
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing Wine
1 scant tablespoon corn starch

Method:

Marinate the chicken meat with the Shaoxing wine and salt for 15 minutes. Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.

Coat the chicken generously with the 1/3 cup cornstarch. Heat up the oil for deep-frying. Deep fry the chicken until they turn light brown. Dish out with a strainer, draining the excess oil by laying the chicken on a dish lined with paper towels.

Heat up a wok with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Add the minced ginger, garlic, and dried chilies into the wok, stir-fry until you smell the spicy aroma of the chilies. Pour the sauce into the wok. When the sauce boils and thickens, add the chicken, stir to combine well with the sauce. Add the scallion and stir a few times, dish out and serve immediately.

Wonton Soup

Ingredients
250 g peeled uncooked prawns, de-veined and coarsely chopped
250 g minced pork
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp finely chopped spring onions
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 egg white, lightly beaten
250 g wonton skins
1.2 litres chicken stock
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
chopped spring onions, to garnish

Method
1. Put the prawns and pork in a large bowl; add the salt and pepper and mix well, either by kneading with your hands or by stirring with a wooden spoon. Then add all the other filling ingredients and stir them well into the prawn and pork mixture. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill for at least 20 minutes.

2. Put 1 tbsp of the filling in the centre of the first wonton skin. Dampen the edges with a little water and bring up the sides of the skin around the filling. Pinch the edges together at the top to seal; it should look like a small filled bag. Fill the remaining wontons.

3. When the wontons are ready, bring the stock, soy sauce and sesame oil to a simmer in a large pan. In another large pan, bring salted water to a boil and poach the wontons for 1 minute or until they float to the top. Remove them immediately and transfer them to the pan with the stock. Continue to simmer them in the stock for 2 minutes. Ladle into a large soup tureen or individual bowls. Garnish with the spring onions and serve at once.

Balsamic-Glazed Squash

Balsamic-Glazed Squash

Directions

Toss 1 large acorn squash (cut into wedges) in a baking dish with 3 tablespoons each melted butter and balsamic vinegar, 2 sliced shallots, 6 chopped sage leaves, 1 tablespoon honey, a pinch of ground coriander, and salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup water and roast at 450 degrees F, 20 minutes; flip, sprinkle with 1/4 cup hazelnuts and roast 20 more minutes.