General Tso's chicken

Name: General Tso's chicken
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 350ml Chinese rice wine (shaohsing); 1 tbs caster sugar; 4.00cm piece ginger, finely grated; 2 garlic cloves, finely grated; 2 tsp chicken stock powder; 1 tsp freshly ground white pepper; 8 chicken thigh fillets, cut into 6 pieces each; 1 tbs sunflower oil, plus extra to deep-fry; 2/3 cup (100g) plain flour; 2/3 cup (100g) cornflour; Steamed jasmine rice, to serve; 1/2 cup (125ml) chicken stock; 1 tsp cornflour; 1 tbs peanut oil; 1 garlic clove, finely grated; 2 spring onions, white part finely chopped, green part cut into 2cm batons; 12 dried long red chillies; 1/4 cup (60ml) dark soy sauce; 2 tbs Chinese rice wine (shaohsing); 2 tbs Chinese black rice vinegar; 2 tbs caster sugar; 1 tsp sesame oil; 1/2 tsp kombu tsuyu (kombu extract, optional – from Asian grocers)

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This tasty chicken dish is an American-Chinese mash-up with origins in New York and Taiwan.

350ml Chinese rice wine (shaohsing)
1 tbs caster sugar
2cm piece ginger, finely grated
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tsp chicken stock powder
1 tsp freshly ground white pepper
8 chicken thigh fillets, cut into 6 pieces each
1 tbs sunflower oil, plus extra to deep-fry
2/3 cup (100g) plain flour
2/3 cup (100g) cornflour
Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

General Tso's Sauce

1/2 cup (125ml) chicken stock
1 tsp cornflour
1 tbs peanut oil
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2cm piece ginger, finely grated
2 spring onions, white part finely chopped, green part cut into 2cm batons
12 dried long red chillies
1/4 cup (60ml) dark soy sauce
2 tbs Chinese rice wine (shaohsing)
2 tbs Chinese black rice vinegar
2 tbs caster sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp kombu tsuyu (kombu extract, optional – from Asian grocers)

Method

1.

To make the marinade, combine the rice wine, sugar, ginger, garlic, stock powder, pepper and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Add the chicken, cover and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight to marinate.
2.

For General Tso’s sauce, whisk stock and cornflour in a small bowl and set aside. Heat peanut oil in a wok or large pan over high heat. Add garlic, ginger, white spring onion and chillies, and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and softened. Add soy sauce, rice wine, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, kombu extract and cornflour mixture, and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then remove from heat and set aside.
3.

To make batter, place sunflower oil, flours and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 cup (250ml) water until smooth.
4.

Half-fill a deep-fryer or large pan with sunflower oil and heat to 180°C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 30 seconds when the oil is hot enough). Remove chicken from marinade and drain in a colander.
5.

Coat chicken in batter, allowing excess to drip off. In batches, deep-fry chicken for 5 minutes or until crisp, golden and cooked. Drain on paper towel. Add fried chicken to General Tso’s sauce, and toss to coat. Repeat with remaining chicken.